Steven Who?
by kezztip
Summary: Set just after Misfire Season 8 – Jackie’s world tumbles in on her when she realises it is really over for her and Hyde and seeks to escape how awful her reality has become. The method of that escape is pure Jackie. FINAL CHAPTER READY AND ABLE!
1. Sitting Shiva

Disclaimer: Don't own, ain't getting paid – that goes for all the chapters

Pairing: H/J of course – I won't even pretend to think anyone else would do for Jackie.

Summary: Set just after Misfire (Season 8) – Jackie's world tumbles in on her when she realises it is really over for her and Hyde and seeks to escape how awful her reality has become. The method of that escape is pure Jackie.

**A.N. This little story has been bouncing around in my brain for a couple of years, ever since I saw the first episode of Season 3 Grey's Anatomy (won't go into detail, you'll remember it after you read the chapter). Hope you enjoy!**

**STEVEN WHO?**

_"I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again. I bind my honour to you that I am done with him in this world. It is all at an end. And indeed he does not want my help; you do not know him as I do; he is safe, he is quite safe; mark my words, he will never more be heard of."_

_- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chapter 5_

The front door opened inwards as a young woman and man cautiously crossed the threshold of the Burkhart Mansion. Although it was a house that was never known for its human warmth, it was particularly forbidding this day as it was shrouded in darkness. Quite deliberately shrouded – the curtains were drawn, the mirrors had black cloths covering them and the only light came from a scattering of candles flickering eerily from the shadows.

The young man clutched the arm of his companion.

"Aii, I don't like this." His eyes darted nervously around the room. "On second thoughts, I am sure Jackie is just fine. She is probably waiting for us back at the Foremans – I'll just go and check."

The tall blonde arrested her retreating friend with a sharp jerk on his collar. "Fez, no one has seen Jackie in 3 days. This was your idea to search her out! Now we walk into her house and find it's gone all Addams Family and you want to bail?"

"Well, maybe she is just getting ready for Halloween," Fez suggested.

"In February?" Donna clamped a hand around Fez's arm and tugged him towards the staircase. "C'mon, we have to find her. This place, it feels like…like…"

"Death," Fez supplied. The two friends suddenly looked at each other with wide eyes as the same horrible thought occurred to them together. "She wouldn't…"

"Jackie!" Donna yelled, taking the stairs two at a time. "Jackie, where are you? Jackie!" Donna and Fez began opening the doors of all the rooms they passed, becoming ever more frantic as they found each room empty.

"Shouldn't her mother be here?" Donna muttered.

"Don't you remember? She stole Jackie's car and took off for South America," Fez said.

"So she's been living here alone? Jackie hates being alone," Donna argued, scanning Jackie's oppressively pink bedroom, praying to find some sign of the over-opinionated princess who had wriggled her way into Donna's life. "She could have come to me."

"I guess she figured you'd be too busy giving Sam the grand tour of Point Place to have any time for her," Fez said with a shrug.

Donna was about to hotly deny the hidden accusation but no words would come. She knew Fez had a good point there. But then, how was she to know Jackie would be so put out by her overtures to Sam? It wasn't as if she actually liked the tube-top sporting stripper; the way she made her living was against everything Donna believed in, plus her dim-witted whorishness reminded her too much of Laurie. The fact remained, Hyde had decided to stay married to her so the best thing for everybody was to come to terms with that and find a way to accept her. Yet as she clattered down the halls of the empty house, she wondered for the first time if it was the best thing for Jackie.

Just when Donna was ready to give up, Fez suddenly shouted, "I found her! Donna, come quick!" The urgency in his cry made Donna break into a panic sweat as she barrelled down to the end of the hall to the main bathroom. _Please, God, let her be alright_, she prayed fervently. _I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I was a bad friend, just please let her be alright_. Breathlessly she burst into the shining white tiled bathroom. Then her eyes took in the sight of the still small figure curled up on the bathroom floor wearing a lavender prom dress, her eyes staring lifelessly into nothingness. Donna let out a keening sound at the picture.

A life had been taken.

_Three days earlier…_

_It couldn't be_, Jackie thought to herself as she strode quickly away from Fez's apartment building. She had just been over to scope out the place as, now that Michael was moving to Chicago, he had offered her his room to rent out. That was her main reason, but if Fez felt like gossiping about how Steven had reacted to Michael's marriage proposal to her last night, she would not be averse to listening. To be honest, she did not know how much longer she could keep up this act of not being bothered by Steven and his resident slut. She had done everything she could to get a reaction from him. She had flirted with other guys, worn her cutest and hottest outfits and pretended to ignore him, three manoeuvres that had always worked for her in the past. But nothing seemed to shatter that cold ice in his blue eyes whenever they looked at her. Then Fez had let slip that Michael was planning on proposing to her before everyone at the Forman's anniversary party last night. It was the perfect plan. Nothing broke through Steven's zen like watching Michael hit on her; to watch him propose to her would have him snatching her away from the handsome doofus, throwing her over his shoulder and racing them both down to his bedroom, where he would lock the door and forget he ever had a wife. So she had pretended to Fez and Donna that she was actually considering the idea, knowing Fez would spread the news back to Hyde that there was a chance he could lose her. But last night as Michael had offered her a balloon in place of an engagement ring _(what an idiot!)_ and asked her that question she had been waiting to hear for so long, Steven had just stood in the background, his arm around his 'wife', watching the scene play out with as much interest as he gave the yearly church Christmas pageant.

But it had to be zen. Just very, very…very convincing zen. Right?

Jackie quickened her pace as she neared her destination. She had to get to the basement. After what Fez had told her, her faith in Hyde's hidden love for her was sorely stretched. She needed to search his room and find something, some proof that he did care for her, that he wanted to be with her but was too darn stubborn to reach out. But as hard as she tried to hold onto that belief, Fez's annoyingly accented voice kept ringing in her ears to contradict it.

"You know, Jackie, it is a happy ending all around that you turned down Kelso's proposal last night," Fez had said as they measured the wardrobe in her prospective room together. "Although how you could say no to those liquid brown eyes…"

"A happy ending for who, Fez?", Jackie asked, hoping he would say 'Hyde'.

"Why, for Kelso of course! I mean, he really did want to marry you, Jackie – in the morning. But then by the afternoon when he got that sweet job offer, he was backpedalling like crazy. You know, if it wasn't for Hyde he would probably be hightailing it to California as we speak!"

"Steven? What did he have to do with it?"

"He told Kelso he couldn't back out, that he'd never get another chance with you if he did."

"So… Steven wanted me to marry Michael?" Jackie asked with a sick feeling.

"Oh, definitely," Fez said cheerfully. "So there's another happy ending right there – you don't have to worry about him ever coming onto you again because you guys are ancient history as far as he's concerned." Fez raked Jackie with his sexiest leer. "Of course, I will be happy to fill the void of indecent proposals now both Hyde and Kelso are out of the picture."

Jackie grabbed her purse, her numb fingers barely able to keep hold of it. "I have to go," she forced out. Fez watched her stumble away with a puzzled face, wondering if he had said something wrong.

Finally Jackie reached the basement, relieved to find it empty. Throwing her purse on the couch, she entered Hyde's room and started frantically looking through his drawers. She had given him so many keepsakes in their time together, pictures of her, silly little presents, each one a private joke they shared between them. If she could just find his secret hoard that he no doubt sifted through each night when everybody was asleep, a lonely tear of regret sliding down his cheek… there must be something. But the only items in the room that weren't Hyde's were obviously the possessions of a person with very low moral standards, judging by the lack of cloth involved. Then suddenly she heard the basement door open. A vapid giggle split the silence.

"Baby, I made such a good take at the club last night. Let's go into your room and you can search out all the places where they put those dollar bills." Jackie made a disgusted face, barely stifling her "ewww". She held her breath waiting for Hyde's answer.

"Whatever," he replied Did that mean 'God, your complete lack of decency makes me want to hurl' or 'Let me just grab the whipped cream'. Damn his ambiguity!

Then she heard them at the bedroom door, not turning the door handle but rubbing up against the door. She wished she had enough time to vomit at the thought of what they were doing but she needed to hide before they found her in here. Silently apologising to her designer Chanel jacket, she crawled under Hyde's bed, pushing a large shoe box out of her way to make room. Just in time, too, because the next moment the bedroom door burst open and the two newlyweds were inside, so wrapped around each other you would have needed a Teflon spatula to pry them apart.

"Oh, Sam," Hyde groaned, as he pulled her down to his bed, crushing the mattress against Jackie's head. "Baby, you are so hot!"

"Hotter than your bratty ex?" Sam breathed, clawing at Hyde's T-shirt.

"Hell, yeah," Hyde replied enthusiastically. "She was nothing next to you."

Sam gave a little squeal of delight as Jackie felt a hundred daggers pierce her heart. "I knew it!" she cried in the manner of one who has asked this question before but had not in the past received an affirmative. "What else do you like about me, baby? In what other ways am I better than her?"

"Well, you… uh… you have an interesting… um…" Hyde seemed to be having a hard time coming up with examples. He shook his head free of all cogitation. "Sam, there's just one thing you need to know - I love you."

"Oh Hyde? Really?" Sam cooed in a slutty sirens voice that made Jackie want to stuff the dirty sweat socks that bred under Hyde's bed down her throat. "More than Jackie?"

Hyde barked out a harsh laugh. "Well, sure, anything greater than zero is more." From the confused look on Sam's face this piece of math was obviously beyond her. Hyde broke it down even further. "Sam, you're the first person I've ever said I love you to and actually meant it."

That was it. That was the breaking point. With a choking sob, Jackie shuffled out from under the bed. She ignored Sam's startled cry. She refused to look at Hyde face as she raced out of his bedroom, grabbed her purse and fled out of the basement. If she had she might have seen that he did not share Sam's surprise. For a moment there was a glimmer of regret in his eyes at the sight of Jackie's distress, but then the ice froze over his heart again.

"What the hell was she doing here?" Sam cried. "Is she going to team up with that pervert foreigner and hide in people's rooms when they're having sex?" She fixed a suddenly shrewish eye on her husband. "Or maybe she was waiting here to have sex with you and I spoiled your little party?"

"Don't be stupid, Sam," Hyde said coldly, the cloying sweet tone he had used minutes before dropped completely. "How should I know why she was here?"

Sam pouted. "Well, now she's just killed the mood. I've lost that sexy feeling having strangers touch my almost-naked body gives me." Sam sighed. "Raincheck until after tonight's show, baby?"

"Whatever," Hyde said with disinterest. "Hey Sam, do you want to get me a beer?"

"That's what I'm here for," his wife purred. If it was any other woman Hyde knew, that remark would have been sarcastic. With Sam, it was a sad statement of fact.

As soon as Sam closed the door, Hyde dived under his bed and dug out the shoebox that was pushed back against the wall. _If Jackie found this…_

When he opened the box he found its contents exactly the same as how he had last left it; every photo of her in order, all her gifts and stuffed toys where he had placed them last night. He breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as he had seen her purse on the couch, his thoughts had flown to the shoebox and when he had walked into his room and caught the delicate trace of her perfume, he was furious with her for snooping and probably discovering what a sap she could still turn him into. But he had got his revenge. From the shattered look on her face she had believed every lie he had told Sam. She wouldn't be poking around his room again.

As he pulled out the little troll doll from the shoebox, he read its inscription; _Today is the first day of the rest of your life._

"Shut up!" he growled.

_Three days later…_

A life had been taken.

But it wasn't Jackie's.

As Fez touched Jackie's cheek, he found the surface wet with warm tears. Heart beating faster, he noticed the slight tremor of her lips which was all that signified she was breathing. He let out the breath he was holding in a grateful rush. "She's alive! Donna, she's breathing!"

"Jackie," Donna said, kneeling by her friend who still seemed to be locked in her own little world. "Jackie, can you hear me? Say something!" No response, other than the steady trickle of tears from her dilated eyes. "Jackie, look at me! I'm wearing plaid – c'mon, go to town!"

Fez held up a hand to Donna and spoke in a tender voice to his friend. "Jackie, it's me, Fez. Are you OK? Please say something, Donna and I are so worried about you." Donna nodded vigorously, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

At first, nothing. Then…

"Fez?" Her voice was dry, as though all the moisture in her body had left through her eyes.

"Yes, Jackie my princess! Please, won't you get off this cold floor and talk with us? We'll watch Grease with you if you like, or do makeovers – whatever you want."

"I can't get up yet, Fez," Jackie said. "It isn't over yet."

"Over? What do you mean?" Donna asked. "Jackie, what are you doing?"

"I'm sitting Shiva," Jackie answered, her voice still small and distant as though coming from far away.

"Shiva?" Fez asked, his brow puckering in confusion. "What is that?"

"I think it's some sort of Jewish custom," Donna explained, "The way they mourn for the dead."

"My grandmother told me," Jackie said, "that when a loved one dies that the way to bid them farewell is to shut out all the light, cover the mirrors and mourn them for seven days."

"Jackie, you can't stay on this floor for seven days," Donna objected. "You'll get tile creases in your cheeks. And anyway, you're not even Jewish!"

"I'm half Jewish," Jackie retorted with the first show of spirit yet. "Even if my mother wasn't practicing, it still counts. I figure since I'm half Jewish, I only have to mourn for three and a half days. I should be done by lunchtime."

"Oh," Donna said, somewhat befuddled. Fez said nothing, he just stroked Jackie's glossy hair until someone thought to ask Jackie the obvious question.

"Oh my God, did someone you love die?" Donna tilted her head downwards so she could look into Jackie's pain-filled orbs, which began to overflow again at this inquiry. Mutely, she nodded her head yes.

"Sweetie, I am so sorry," Donna gasped, holding Jackie's passive hand between her own. "Who was it? Your father?" Jackie shook her head. "Your mother?" Again, no. Donna racked her brain to think who it could be. "Who?"

Turning her head slightly for the first time, Jackie fought to get the name past her aching throat. Finally, she said, "Steven."

Donna dropped her hand in shock. "Steven? You don't mean… are we talking about…?"

"My boyfriend, Steven, you lumberjack," Jackie said before her shoulders began to shake once again.

"How…" Fez began, as much at a loss as Donna. Could she mean Hyde? The same Hyde they had just left at the basement when Fez had insisted it was unnatural for Jackie to be away from the centre of attention for so long and they should go look for her. The same Hyde who had barely lifted an eyebrow and slurred "whatever" as he slugged down another beer?

"It happened just after Chicago," Jackie recounted in a dull voice. "Steven found me with Michael and he got the wrong idea and before I could tell him nothing happened he jumped in his car and drove to Vegas."

"Yes, Jackie, we know all that," Fez agreed. "He went to Vegas and – "

"Crashed," Jackie finished. "Drove his car right into a strip club."

"A strip club?" Donna repeated warily as she shared a WTF look with Fez.

"The car, the club, Steven – they all went up in flames," Jackie said sadly. "There is nothing left of him now. Nothing but my memories."

"Jackie, when you say 'Steven'," Fez said cautiously, "Are you talking about the same Steven you dated for the last two years? The one who took you to the Christmas dance? That Steven?"

Jackie breathed an impatient sigh at her friend's obtuseness. "Of course I mean that Steven. What is the matter with you? Who else would I mean but the same Steven who has loved and protected me for the best two years of my life?"

"But Jackie, Hyde isn't dead," Fez said, eager to bring her this good news. Donna rushed to agree.

"That's right. We just left him in the basement 30 minutes ago."

Jackie crinkled her forehead in puzzlement. "Hyde? Hyde who?"

Another blank look from the two friends – they were flowing thick and fast today. "Well – Steven Hyde."

"I don't know any Steven Hyde," Jackie declared in genuine confusion. "I'm talking about _my _boyfriend – Steven Jekyll."

**A.N. Fake out again! Man, that's fun to do. Please don't hold my teasing against me; I need some validation, people! REVIEW!**


	2. Placing the Blame

**A.N. Thanks for all those wonderful reviews. You guys are the best! A comment from Cookie207 has inspired me to include quotes from R.L. Stevenson's classic – as I read over the various quotes, they just fit Hyde so well.**

_"I am painfully situated, Utterson; my position is a very strange--a very strange one. It is one of those affairs that cannot be mended by talking."  
- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chapter 3_

It was a silent group who filled the waiting room of Point Place Hospital's Psychiatric wing. But if their inner thoughts could be heard, it would have made a cacophony of blame and worry.

_I should have been there for her_, Donna thought.

_I should have told Hyde he was being a son of a bitch_, Fez thought.

_I should have mothered her more_, Kitty thought. _Baked her a pie or two._

_I should have put my foot up Steven's ass for what he did to that poor kid_, Red thought.

The only one of the five people not wallowing in remorse was the one with the most reason to feel it. Hyde's jaw was set in a tense line which was a warning sign of an impending storm. Sure enough…

"This is bullshit!" Hyde exploded.

"Steven!" Kitty reprimanded.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Forman, but I can't keep quiet any longer. Pretending not to know me, making up some fictitious other boyfriend – can't you see this is just one of her crazy games? She's just trying to mess with my head to get back at me."

"Hyde," Fez said, breaking into Hyde's tirade. "You, my friend, are a son of a bitch. That's right, I finally said it! Ah, nice one, Fez."

"Hyde, if you were there when we found Jackie, there is no way you would think this is an act," Donna said seriously. "I've seen her cry over break-ups before, but this was something else. This was the kind of grief where you know you're never going to see the person you love again."

"But _forgetting_ me? I mean, come on! If she loved me so much, how could she forget me?"

"Steven Hyde?" An elderly doctor who bore a striking resemblance to the dad from Happy Days entered the waiting room, reading a name from a clipboard. Hyde stepped towards him. "Would you come with us, please."

"What's going on in there, Doc?" Red asked gruffly. "What do you need Steven for?"

"Yes, is Jackie going to be alright?" Kitty asked. "What is wrong with her?"

"Well, it looks like a classic case of PTS."

"Wow," Fez marvelled. "What you ladies go through every month! I salute you."

"No, young man, P_T_S. Post Traumatic Stress," Doctor Hammond explained. "Selective amnesia is just one of the methods it can use to manifest itself. I haven't seen this kind of memory repression since my work with soldiers who served in Vietnam."

"You're comparing Jackie's trip to Fantasy Island to people who have been through a war?" Hyde said cynically. But Red looked thoughtful.

"Everybody has their own brand of hell, Dumbass," Red said. "If that hell gets bad enough, the mind has its own bag of tricks to find a way out. Kitty, do you remember my old war buddy, Peter Hassleway?"

"Oh, you mean Peter who served the Korean war on a fishing trawler in Massachussetts?" Kitty turned to the others. "He and Red served 18 months in Korea side by side but he doesn't remember a minute of it. If you ask him what he was doing in 1951, he'll tell you he was fishing for cod on the Great Banks."

"Steven, you go with the doctor and do whatever he tells you to," Red commanded. "And so help me if you say one word that upsets that girl I will kick your ass so hard you'll need your own memory blackout to survive it."

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As they stood outside the door of Jackie's room, the doctor instructed Hyde not to say anything to Jackie. Perhaps the sight of him would dispel her delusion that he was dead, but it was important that this happen naturally without any prompting from him.

Hyde trailed into the hospital room behind the doctor to find Jackie sitting listlessly on the edge of a bed. He immediately recognised the dress she was wearing as the one she had worn to the Junior prom. Although not usually one to notice the changing fashions, he would never forget the way she had looked in that dress. It was the first time he had seen her, not as Kelso's annoying girlfriend, but as a beautiful young woman. There was one accessory that she wore this day which had not been present on that midsummer night - a black armband bound around her right bicep.

She did not look up to see who had intruded upon her solitude. Hyde took the opportunity to examine her closely and he noted that her face bore the signs of someone who had just ridden an exhausting wave of grief, yet there was a kind of peace there as well, as though she had accepted her loss. As he stepped into her line of vision, he waited for some strong emotion to bring life back into her eyes – whether it be relief that he lived or anger for the same reason, he didn't care, so long as she came back to reality.

But no light of recognition lit her eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked with little interest. Hyde could not think of a thing to say.

"Jackie, do you recognise this young man?" the doctor asked.

"No, not really. Why? Am I supposed to know him?"

"Jackie, it's me – Steven Hyde." Hyde cried, forgetting the doctor's directions. "You've known me for years."

"Mr Hyde!" Doctor Hammond reproached. Jackie frowned in concentration.

"Hyde? Donna mentioned a Hyde. Wait a minute, I know you!" Steven felt relief wash over him at her words. "You used to hang around Eric's basement when I first started going out with Michael."

"Uh… well, yeah."

"Wow! I haven't seen you in years!"

"You haven't?" Hyde repeated dumbly.

"Jackie," the doctor interposed. "When was the last time you remember seeing Hyde?"

"I don't know – a couple of years ago. It was just after I met Steven. Now I think about it, it seemed like Hyde stopped showing up when Steven came into the picture. What happened, Hyde – did my Steven threaten to beat you up for always being such a jerk to me?"

Doctor Hammond forestalled whatever hot answer was on the tip of Hyde's tongue. "Can you tell me your earliest memory of Steven?"

"Oh yes," Jackie confirmed with a nod. "It was when he took me to the prom." She looked down at her gown with a sad smile. "He took one look at me in this dress and told me I was beautiful. I mean, people tell me that all the time because, well, look at me, but the way he said it… I think that was when I started falling in love with him."

"Sure, you were so into 'Steven' that you ended the night getting back with together with your ex-boyfriend," Hyde scoffed.

"Steven wasn't ready for me then." Jackie smoothed the chiffon folds absently over her knees as her mind looked backwards. "He always had such a hard time believing he deserved better than skanks like Pam Macey. He never saw himself the way I did."

"How did you see him, Jackie?" Hyde asked, speaking more gently now. Jackie raised eyes softly glowing to Hyde's face.

"I saw him as something wonderful."

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"I have finalised my diagnosis of Miss Burkhart," Doctor Hammond announced to the ragtag assortment of people in his office.

"What can you do for my Jacqueline?" Fez implored. "Will she have to wear one of those straight jackets? Jackie does not like jackets that fail to accentuate her curves. It would be a crime to put her in one!"

"Can it, Tonto. No-one is forcing Jackie to do anything she doesn't want to," Red declared with a warning look at the Doctor, daring him to contradict. Red was in full protective 'papa-bear' mode. Doctor Hammond held his hands up peacefully.

"I assure you all that Jackie is not mentally ill," he said. "I have tested her memory and in all matters where it does not relate to this young man," he gestured to Hyde, sitting with his arms crossed defensively over his chest, "it is perfectly normal."

"Yes, but it's the imperfectly normal part that has us worried," Donna pointed out. "Surely rewriting history for yourself isn't a picture postcard for good mental health?"

"Donna, from all the background information you have given me about the events that have happened in Jackie's life recently, it is clear that she has been through some extremely harrowing experiences." All eyes in the room slid towards the curly-haired rebel, and then quickly slid away. "I can only assume from the fact that in her fantasy world it is easier for Jackie to cope with Steven's _death_ than it is his recent marriage that she feels the pain of his betrayal very deeply."

"Whoa, time out there, Doc," Hyde interrupted, rising to his feet. "Jackie and I were broken up when I married Sam. She's the one who left me for a job offer in Chicago. She's the one who was about to nail Kelso. If anyone was betrayed, it was me!"

"Oh, give it a rest, Hyde," Donna yelled. Hyde was startled; Donna so rarely turned her anger on him, and when she did it was usually over something trivial. But now her expression left no doubt where she was casting the blame in this far from trivial situation.

"First off, you as good as told her to take that job in Chicago, Mr Have-A-Nice-Trip. Secondly, if you were broken up then what right do you have to feel betrayed if Jackie was going to sleep with someone else? And thirdly, she wasn't going to sleep with Kelso, you dumbass!"

"Oh sure, and you know this how? Did you get your hands on some surveillance footage of that night? Or perhaps you had an out of body experience and thought you'd just flit over to Chicago and check out the night life?"

"I know it because Jackie told me."

"Hardly convincing evidence, Donna."

"Well then, how about the fact that I've known Jackie and Kelso for a long time and I know how they work?" Donna replied coldly. "I know Jackie isn't capable of having sex with someone she is not in love with, just like I know that if Kelso is alone with an attractive female he's going to forget about the consequences and hit on her like a sailor on his first shore leave in 6 months. Put those two facts together, add one jealous jackass to the mix, and you get what happened in that Chicago hotel room."

The ice that surrounded Hyde's heart had taken some mighty cracks this day. The sight of Jackie's grief had greatly weakened the icy fortress Hyde had built around himself but now it was melted from the inside by Hyde's anger; anger not only with himself but for the tall blonde bludgeoning him with his own culpability.

"Real nice, Donna," he snarled. "Tell me, if you were so convinced that I was being a dick to Jackie, why the hell didn't you say something to me?" He looked around at his surrogate family and friends, eyes blazing. "Why didn't anyone say something? Tell me I was making a mistake? Tell me they thought I still had a chance with Jackie?" No eye contact was made or answer given to Hyde's questions. He turned back to Donna. "So don't set yourself up as some all-seeing authority on love and loyalty, Donna, because I may have fallen short on those two commodities when it comes to Jackie, but then so has everyone in this room."

"You're right," Donna answered quietly. "We should have tried. But you are just so stubborn and you've been so unreachable – but I should have at least tried."

"Look, all this bellyaching is getting us off track," Red interposed. "Now you two sit down and let the quack finish what he was saying about Jackie not being a fruitcake."

"That's alright, Mr Forman. I'm finding the dynamics between the people in this room very enlightening to my understanding of this case," the doctor said. "It reaffirms my belief that it is essential that you humour Jackie's delusion that her boyfriend Steven Jekyll is dead."

"What?!" was the unanimous cry.

"How can that be right?" Kitty doubted. "We should be bringing her back to reality, not encouraging her make believe."

"There are ways we can force Jackie to face reality, it is true," the doctor continued, raising his voice above the objections. "Hypnosis is one method. But I have seen too much damage done by forcing a patient to deal with issues they are not strong enough to cope with."

"What kind of damage?" Hyde asked.

"The patient often turns to other means of escape when their delusion is ripped away from them. I knew one young girl who was abandoned by her parents. She made up a world where her parents were secret agents working undercover to thwart evil instead of in Rio avoiding tax evasion charges. Her doctor prescribed deep memory hypnosis to cure her of the delusion and it was completely successful. By the end of the session she was 100 per cent certifiably sane by all standards of the American Medical Association. Of course, that same night she went home and took a fatal overdose of sleeping pills, but hey, at least she died in her right mind."

"Jackie would never…" Fez said but then petered off as Donna shot a look at him – _remember this morning_. The scene they had found in that bathroom was such a perfect mimic of a suicide they had jumped to that conclusion. The conclusion did not seem that far-fetched to them then.

"That story does kind of remind me of how Jackie would never admit her father is in prison," Donna said uneasily. "If anyone mentions him to her she says he is freeing the natives in some far off land. But I know she didn't really believe it. Not like this."

"It shows a pattern," Doctor Hammond said, nodding his head. "This is the natural progression. I believe if you humour Jackie, then when she is emotionally and mentally strong enough to deal with her trauma, her brain will allow her to remember."

"Alright, Doc, you win," Red surrendered. "From now on, Steven is dead."

"Hey!" Steven cried. "I think I have a problem with that!"

"Shut it, dumbass! Corpses don't get a vote." Red looked around at Kitty, Donna and Fez. "Are we all agreed?"

Kitty gave Hyde an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Honey. I'm sure you won't be…uh… deceased for too long."

Donna's smile was more on the tormenting side. "I'll make sure your tombstone fully describes what a special guy you were."

"Ooh, Hyde, can you leave me your record collection in your Will?" Fez asked eagerly. Hyde's answer was a swift punch on his arm. "Oh come on! You can't take it with you, you know!"


	3. Living the lie

**Chapter 3**

**A.N. I love all your comments – they mean so much to me. I originally planned to make this a 3 chapter story (I have yet to write a short fanfic, although I keep trying) but it is as usual running away from me so I think it will be a bit longer than planned. Hope you like!**

_  
I mean from henceforth to lead a life of extreme seclusion; you must not be surprised, nor must you doubt my friendship, if my door is often shut even to you. You must suffer me to go my own dark way. I have brought on myself a punishment and a danger that I cannot name. If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also.  
- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chapter 6_

"Steven honey, would you get the door?" Kitty Forman called out from the kitchen. Hyde groaned as he pulled himself up from the living room couch where he was watching ice hockey with Fez.

"I swear, if this is another funeral wreath, I am going to make that delivery boy eat those damn lilies."

"Cheer up, Hyde," Fez encouraged. "You should be flattered that so many people have sent flowers in your honour. You see how sorely you are missed since you passed away."

"Seeing as how most of the cards get my surname wrong, I'm not really getting the warm fuzzies from this situation."

"Ah, that Steven Jekyll," Fez reminisced. "We will not see his like again."

Kitty bustled past Hyde who had been too busy complaining to answer the door. "Really, Steven!" she scolded. "You move slower than a presidential election."

"Sorry, Mrs Forman, but it's probably better that you answer the door," Hyde said. "I've been freaking a few people out lately."

"Hello, Kitty," Pastor Dave greeted as Kitty opened the door to him. "I just heard on the grapevine about Steven joining the big guy upstairs."

"Oh really? Actually, Pastor Dave, Steven isn't really… gone."

"I dig it," Pastor Dave nodded his head sagely. "And you're right. As long as we hold the memory of him in our hearts, he will never really be gone."

"So that's why I can't cross over," Hyde said, stepping into view. "And here I thought it was the guilt from hog-tying my pastor with 10 yards of Christmas lights keeping me here."

"Eeeeeh!" Pastor Dave screamed, jumping out of his skin. "You! You're – you're – "

"A ghost?" Hyde filled in. "Nahh, a man of faith like yourself knows there's no such thing. Now zombies - that's another story. That reminds me… if you'll excuse me, I need to go find a brain to eat." So saying, Hyde made his way down to the basement, Fez following. Kitty turned back to Point Place's spiritual adviser whose jaw had dropped down to shoulder-level.

"So… it was… lovely to see you again, Pastor Dave," she said, turning the shaken man around on her doorstep. "Will you be at the Bun Cake fundraiser next Wednesday? But of course, you wouldn't want to miss that! I know how fond you are of bun cake! Ha ha!"

And then the door was shut.

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"I warned her about the freaking out," Hyde said as he took his seat in the basement. "Two weeks of this I've had to endure. Two weeks of people screaming when they see me coming, or telling me they thought I was dead and looking disappointed that I'm still breathing. I can't take this anymore!"

Donna frowned at Hyde. "Stop exaggerating, Hyde. Most of the people Jackie has told don't even associate you as her boyfriend."

"How's that possible?" Randy asked. Hyde's newest employee had lately taken to hanging around the basement.

"When they were dating, Hyde didn't take Jackie out in public much," Donna explained. "And when Jackie talked about her boyfriend to others, she always referred to him as 'Steven'. So you see, Jackie's 'Steven' was as much a myth when they were dating as he is in his current extinct condition. It's a lucky thing, really, because it means no-one realises that Jackie is…you know."

"Well, enough people knew she was dating me to cause me problems," Hyde said bitterly. "She told Leo and now he can't get it out of his head. Every day when I open the store he's like 'Whoa! You're dead, man!' So I take an hour to explain the situation, I finally convince him I'm not the walking dead and then the next morning we go through the whole song and dance again. The guy can't remember where he lives but if a screwy little brunette tells him I've kicked the bucket, that he can't let go of."

"I think the big question is, how is Sam taking this?" Randy inquired. "From what I hear, there's no love lost between her and Jackie."

"Sam does what I tell her," Hyde said shortly. Donna grimaced.

"Another reason why I won't be asking her to speak at any feminist rallies."

"So, she doesn't have a problem with playing along? Seeing as how she's not so kindly disposed to Jackie that she'd be willing to do her any favours?"

"I get the feeling that it's eating her up inside that she no longer has the power to hurt Jackie," Donna replied with a ghoulish grin. "Jackie just looks past her like she's a marked down polyester safari suit, and Sam can't even rub it in her face anymore that she stole Jackie's man."

"I don't know what you guys have against Sam all of a sudden," Hyde objected. "You talk about her like she's some manipulative, vindictive bitch."

"Hyde is right," Fez said, defending his friend. "As if a stripper who snares men by their own sexual needs and marries them while they are too drunk to know what they're doing would ever be manipulative."

Donna shook her head. "That is so true, Fez. And how could I forget the kindly way Sam pointed out to Jackie that she was going to die miserable and alone? Yep, that's a real keeper you've got there, Hyde."

Hyde was thrown by his friend's agreement. "Oh yeah? Well, you guys don't know… that is, Sam is very…" Hyde had nothing. "Whatever!"

"What are you guys talking about?" A new voice penetrated the basement conclave. Hyde quickly swivelled around to see Jackie walk down the wooden staircase. His eyes drank in every detail of her person; although he griped about the inconveniences her disorder had caused for him, it was only a mask for the very real concern he felt for her. He noted that her appearance was as perfect as it had ever been, although the aura of sadness that exuded from her was still present, as was the black armband.

"Just the joys of marriage," Randy quipped as he made room on the couch for Jackie.

"Oh," Jackie said with a little catch in her voice. Suddenly tears welled in her eyes. When she saw the looks of concern, she waved her hands over her face as if to dry her tears before they could fall. "I'm sorry, I'm being silly, it's just that… that… I always thought that I would one day share the joys of marriage with Steven."

Donna put her arm around her friend, holding her close. "Oh Jackie, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to upset you."

"He was getting used to the idea, you know," Jackie said sadly. "He pretended to be dead set against it but there were little things. Like when he caught me wearing a wedding gown, that time I went wedding shopping with Eric; I was so sure he was going to yell at me for breaking my promise about not doing any more marriage stuff, but he just looked at me and told me…"

"Told you what?" Fez asked breathlessly.

"He told me I was beautiful."

"Awwww!" everybody but Hyde (who was too busy fighting off the urge to blush) said.

"Sometimes at night when we were lying on his cot," Jackie continued, "I'd talk about the future and how one day we'd be lying in our own double bed in our own house and we'd have twin girls sleeping in the bedroom down the hall and little Steven Junior would be just across from our bedroom in the nursery where we could hear him if he cried and we'd have a golden retriever who'd always try to jump onto the bed with us." Her audience stared at Hyde in wonder. "Steven never really said anything but he'd hold me tighter and his body would relax. I think he liked me telling those stories, even though he could never admit to it."

"Yes, well," Hyde said in acute discomfort, "From what you've told us about him, he sounds like the kind of guy who liked to maintain his privacy."

"You're right about that," Jackie confirmed. "He would kill me if he ever caught me talking about him like this." There was a brief pause. "Do you guys want to know his pet name for me?"

"Jackie!" Hyde cried.

"Well, it's not like it makes any difference anymore," Jackie said reasonably.

"Ooh, do tell!" Fez and Donna were avid.

"He used to call me his – oooomph!" Jackie was cut off by Hyde launching himself out of his chair and clapping his hand over her mouth. She pushed away his arm. "Hyde! What is your problem?"

Hyde was saved the need to reply by none other than his wife who came sashaying out of his bedroom, dressed in a halter top and micro-mini skirt. She stopped short and narrowed her eyes at her husband, who currently had his hands all over his ex-girlfriend.

"What's going on here?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Hyde retorted, whipping his hands away in a guilty manner. "Jackie was just yapping on about stuff that wasn't any of her business and I was trying to stop her talking."

Jackie turned her indignant countenance on Hyde. "None of _my_ business? What I'd like to know is how come the fact that my beloved Steven used to call me his little ray of sunshine is any business of yours?"

"Oh Hyde," Donna said, a delighted grin creeping over her face as Hyde winced. "Say it ain't so!"

Sam was livid. Her 'husband' who despised all forms of sentimentality and wouldn't even let his own wife call him by his first name used to call this doe-eyed little brat lovey-dovey pet names? She turned towards the girl who somehow could suck all the focus in the room away from Sam without even trying, most especially Hyde's.

"Oh but Jackie, you see it is very much Hyde's business what your saintly dead boyfriend used to call you," Sam said maliciously, "seeing as how Steven Jekyll and Steven Hyde are – "

Once again a female was muzzled by a hand, except this time it was Donna's. She held the angry gaze of the blonde stripper with stony menace. "Don't even think about it."

"Sam," Hyde said harshly as he grabbed her arm. "My room! Now!"

As soon as the door closed behind them, Hyde turned on his wife. "What the hell was that! You know what the doctor said could happen if you confront Jackie with the truth."

"What, you mean she could get even crazier than she is now? I don't see how that's possible."

"She's not crazy," Hyde said angrily. "And you could do real damage if you go pointing out the real world to her before she's ready to deal with it."

"Here's the thing, _Steven_," Sam said, drawing out his Christian name tauntingly. "I don't give a tinker's damn what happens to your ex-girlfriend – and neither should you." Hyde just looked at her, saying nothing. Sam found it unnerving. "Three weeks ago you were all about making her life miserable. You really hated her."

"I never hated her," Hyde said quietly.

Sam made a frustrated growling sound. "You did! All the time you were in Vegas you bitched about her, how controlling she was, how annoying and shallow – the quickest way to get you going was to run her down."

"You don't get it, do you? It was always about _her_!" Hyde started opening drawers and throwing Sam's clothing onto the bed. As her tawdry lingerie flew through the air, he continued, "I couldn't be in love with her anymore but I couldn't let her go – the only thing left for me to do was hate her. And I'd pat myself on the back for fooling you but then that's not really that big an accomplishment, is it?"

Sam looked at the gathering pile of clothes with wide eyes as she slowly put two and two together. "What are you doing? Are you… Hyde, baby, you don't seriously want me to go, right?"

"Want is such a pale word," Hyde said as he rooted around under his bed for his old duffel bag. "It's more like I yearn, crave and hunger for you to go."

"But… but you told me you loved me! You said I was better than her!" Hyde had the grace to look ashamed. "You knew," Sam said slowly. "You knew she was under the bed that whole time."

"Sam…"

"Save it!" Sam stuffed the rest of her clothing in the duffel bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. "I'd wish you joy with the little whackadoodle, but then even she isn't mad enough to take you back – not after the way you destroyed her. Yeah, that's right – I remember it wasn't long after she heard you say you never loved her that she had her melt down. How does it feel, Hyde, to keep hurting the one person you really love?"

"Just go, Sam," Hyde said wearily.

Without any more words, Sam marched out of Hyde's room, through the basement and to the back door. She paused at the door, as though waiting to hear someone call her back, but when nothing happened she made a huffing sound and walked out of their lives.

"Hallelujah!" Donna cheered. "Free at last!"

"I too am glad to see her gone," Fez agreed. "And that is saying something, for you know I am all in favour of naked ladies."

"You know, I don't know why, but I never could warm up to her either," Jackie said musingly.

"How are you doing, Hyde?" Randy asked his boss.

Hyde said nothing for a moment as his eyes ran over Jackie. Then he turned around, walked back into his room and shut the door as though he were shutting the world out with it. But whether it was to protect himself from the world or maybe the other way around? Who could say.


	4. Curse or Cure?

**Chapter 4**

**_My life, my honour, my reason, are all at your mercy; if you fail me to-night, I am lost.    
_****_- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chapter 9_**

It had not changed much

Hyde was sitting on the hood of the El Camino, taking in the same view he had once shared with a small brunette on a long ago Veterans Day night.  Only this time, he was alone.  Hyde was thinking that was probably the best state for him to be in, for his own good and the good of certain other people with multi-coloured eyes.

It had been a week since Sam had left and during that time Hyde had kept himself sequestered from people, only coming out of his room to eat or go to work.  Although the searing loneliness was starting to get to him, he congratulated himself that for an entire 7 days he had not seen or caused any further harm to –

"Jackie?" he cried, voice squeaking as badly as Forman's.  She had just stepped into the clearing, as though his thoughts had summoned her by some mystical process.

"Hyde?"  It was evident she was as surprised as he.  "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing."  Like he would ever admit what he was doing here.  "How about you?  Isn't this a bit far from your neighbourhood?"

"I just came to…. that is, I once came here with… never mind, you wouldn't understand."

"You'd be surprised," Hyde muttered under his breath.  Jackie looked over the dark landscape with wistful eyes and then hoisted herself onto the bonnet of the El Camino, unconsciously duplicating the very memory that hung in the night air.  When she started to shiver, Hyde rolled his eyes and shrugged out of his jacket.  _Why should that detail be left out_, he thought as he draped it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," Jackie said, a catch of surprise in her voice at the considerate gesture, which annoyed Hyde that she didn't think he was capable of even that much courtesy.  Perversely, he made sure to reinforce her bad impression of him.

"Keep your thanks to yourself.  I was just covering up that stupid black rag that's grafted onto your arm.  Seriously, when are you going to get rid of that depressing armband?"

Jackie stared at him in shocked offence.  "I'll wear this 'rag' for as long as I choose to, you insensitive jackass!"

"Why?  What's the point?  Is it like if you don't wear it, you'll forget you lost someone and might accidentally be happy?  Is that it?"  Jackie said nothing, but hunched deeper into Hyde's jacket, retreating like a turtle. Looking for a response, Hyde kept on poking.  "Your boyfriend is gone – we get that.  Why don't you just let it go and get over it.  It's not like he was that great of a boyfriend, anyhow."

"SHUT UP!" Jackie shouted.  "Don't you dare say a word against my Steven!  You didn't know him!"

Hyde looked up to the heavens and gave a shout of ironic laughter. "And you think you did?  You've tricked him out in your memory into some kind of model of perfection.  The person you're mourning – he never even existed."

"I know he wasn't perfect," Jackie cried.

"I don't think you do."

"What are you trying to tell me, Hyde?  That Steven was a paranoid commitment-phobe?  Or that he was a lazy son-of-a-bitch who always took the easy option?  Well, you can save your breath because I know that.  I know he wasn't perfect and didn't always treat me as well as he should have."  The blaze in Jackie's eyes was quenched by tears and she turned her head away.  "I know that."

Hyde stared at his ex-girlfriend in confusion.  "Then… how can you miss him so much?  What has he ever done to deserve your tears?"

"We loved each other," Jackie said in a quiet voice.  "And he tried."

"Tried what?" Hyde was lost.

"He tried for me," Jackie explained.  "We were as different as chalk and cheese but when he saw something was important to me, he'd try to give me what I wanted.  And even though we'd fight and disagree and drive each other crazy sometimes, he didn't give up on me."

"He didn't?" Hyde was thinking of a certain road trip to Vegas with a fair measure of guilt.

"Not when it mattered," Jackie said.  "I remember one time I accidentally called Michael my boyfriend in front of everybody.  I saw on his face how much that hurt him, and, even worse, I knew how that must have hurt his pride, shaming him before everybody we knew like that.  When I came to him and asked for a second chance, I thought I had no hope, that forgiving me would be too hard.  But he did it," Jackie said with a sweet smile.  "And he swallowed all of Michael's burns and his friends' sarcastic remarks because he refused to let me go."  Hyde was silent, remembering that moment.  He had been so tempted to end his relationship with Jackie then, had even announced he was over her in his anger, but she had pulled him back in with her stubborn emotional bravery.  Who says 'I love you' after they've just been dumped, and then refuses to retract the statement even when told it would not be returned in kind?  Well, actually, he had done that too.  Still, if anyone should get points for not giving up, it was Jackie.

"I always thought I – I mean, he – was kind of a disappointment to you," Hyde said slowly.  "He wasn't the type of guy you could show off at the country club.  It just seemed like it was only a matter of time before you woke up and realised you could do a whole lot better."

"Better than Steven?"  Jackie shook her head wryly.  "How can there be someone better than your one true love?  Do you have any idea how rare that is, Hyde, to find the one person on this earth who can make your heart beat faster just with their smile?"  Hyde's throat dried up as he read the earnestness in her face.

"I have some idea," he managed to say.  Jackie was a little thrown off her stride by this unexpected agreement.  She had not associated Hyde with any tender emotion.  Perhaps his relationship with Sam went deeper than it had appeared to.

"You mean… you have been in love like that too?"

Hyde didn't want to answer but her eyes were pulling the words out of him.  "…yeah."

"And you lost her… recently?"

"Yeah."  He breathed the simple syllable out sadly.  Jackie had one more question.

"And did you happen to bring her here, for a first date or a first kiss, perhaps?"

Hyde looked sharply at Jackie.  Was she remembering?

"Yes!" he blurted.  "Jackie – "

"Oh, Hyde, I am so sorry," Jackie cried. "I've been so caught up in my own loss that I forgot about Sam."

"Who?" Hyde asked blankly.  "Oh, Sam!  Right, the wife.  I'm with you."

"Look, Hyde, I know that we haven't known each other very long," Jackie began.

"…and yet it feels like years."

"… and I know I didn't really know Sam very well but somehow I got the feeling that she wasn't really the right girl for you."

"She was the opposite of the right girl for me," Hyde said with a significant look at Jackie.  Sam had been the antonym for Jackie.

Jackie beamed at his agreement.  "I'm so glad to hear you say that.  Hyde, you have to know that you can do so much better than Sam."

Hyde looked at her warily.  "And I suppose one day I'll find…"

"…somebody great," Jackie joined in.

"Why does this conversation seem so familiar?" Hyde mused.

"I don't know," Jackie replied.  "Steven told me that when I broke up with Michael."

"That's right," Hyde said, snapping his fingers.  Jackie looked at him with surprise. "That is.. look, Jackie, the same thing goes for you.  I hate to see you so broken up about this Steven of yours."

"What are you saying, Hyde?"

"I'm saying that – Steven – would want you to be happy.  Don't close yourself off from the possibility of falling in love again.  I'm sure that any man who loved you wouldn't want you to be moping around for the rest of your life in some kind of screwed-up homage to him."

"Do you really think so?" Jackie asked doubtfully.

"Definitely.  In fact, if he were able to somehow be here with us now and speak to you like I am, I'm convinced he would have two things to say to you; one, to move on with your life and two…"

"Yes?" Jackie was hanging on Hyde's words.  His eyes softened behind his redundant sunglasses.

"Two, that he will always love you."

"Oh," Jackie let out a rush of air.  "Oh Hyde, I think you're right."

"I'm always right."

"No, I mean you're right about Steven being here.  When you said those words, I had the strongest sense that Steven was so close to me."  Jackie shook her head in wonderment.  "I can't describe it."  She reached over to her armband, tore it off and tossed the fabric away.  Then she reached over and squeezed Hyde's hand gratefully.

Hyde looked down at his hand in awe.  Not only was Jackie putting aside her morbid preoccupation with the armband, she was looking at him with more life in her eyes that he had seen in a long time.  And on some level she was starting to make the connection between Steven Jekyll and Steven Hyde.  None of his friends or her therapist had been able to make this much progress with her.  Maybe he wasn't just a curse on her life.  Maybe he could be the cure.

"Come on, it's getting late," he said, sliding off the car's bonnet and pulling her along with him.  "I should be getting you home."

"You don't have to go to that trouble.  I don't mind walking," Jackie assured.

"It's no trouble," Hyde insisted, opening the car door for Jackie.  "Anything for you, doll."

He was greatly satisfied at the double take those four familiar words prompted from Jackie, but he pretended to ignore her reaction.

_It's working_, he thought.

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"So, Mr Hyde skulks out of his lair," Donna mused.

"Put a sock in it," Hyde replied, taking his customary seat.

"No, really, we haven't seen you all week.  I had no idea Sam's leaving would hit you so hard," Donna said.  Hyde gave her a hard look but she maintained the guileless expression which hid the little fishing expedition she was on.

"Yeah, sure, my dear departed wife is the one I'm all cut up over," Hyde said sarcastically.  "Would you believe it?  I got WB's lawyer to start divorce proceedings but when he filed for a copy of our marriage certificate, it came up with two results."

"You mean… you married her twice?" Fez asked.

"No, dingus!  It means she was married before me – and that marriage was still in force when she hauled my drunken carcass before the preacher."

"No way!" Donna exclaimed.

"On the one hand I'm pissed that she conned me like that," Hyde admitted.  "But on the other, I'm kind of glad that means she was never really my wife."  Hyde smirked at this thought.  "Come to think of it, that hand outweighs the other by a ton."

"I see," Donna said as one ready to spring a trap.  "And the reason why you are so happy that your record is still clean in the marriage department wouldn't have anything to do with a certain economy-sized brunette, would it?"

"What?  I don't know what you're talking about," Hyde replied, shifting in his seat uneasily.

"And the reason why you have finally returned to the land of the living doesn't have anything to do with a conversation you had with said Brunette last night, then?" Donna continued.

"Man, Jackie never could keep anything to herself.  Look, Donna, just because Jackie and I had some kind of moment last night, it doesn't mean anything."

Donna and Fez shared a look that telegraphed Here comes Hyde's latest denial of all feelings.

"But it did make me realise that maybe I can… I don't know, help her or something.  Get her back to normal.  I kind of figure I owe her that much.  But don't go thinking any stupid romantic crap that there's more to it than that, 'cause Jackie and I, we are over.  Kaput.  Nothing to see here and everybody can just move along.  Got it?"

As if on cue, the basement door opened and the subject of discussion burst in.  At once Hyde's posture was electrified at the sight of the girl he was so over, a reaction not lost on Donna and Fez.

"Hello, my goddess," Fez greeted her.  "You are looking particularly radiant this morning."

Jackie nodded in agreement.  "I know!  Aren't these jeans incredible on me?  Honestly, Jordache should be paying me commission for making them look so good."

Donna grinned, pleased to see her friend returning to her natural overconfidence.  "I think that outfit works really well because it doesn't have any _black _in it."

"You mean the armband?  Yes, Hyde made me realise that it was time for me to move on and let myself be happy again," Jackie replied, shooting a grateful half-smile at Hyde.  He could not suppress an answering smile, nor the softened warmth in his eyes.  "And to that end," Jackie went on, "I have some good news."

"What would that be, Jacks?" Hyde asked genially.  "You joining a pottery class or something?"

"No, much better.  I have a date!"

"WHAT?" Hyde exploded.  "What the Hell do you mean you have a date?!"

"Well, I was just down at the Hub having a coffee when the waiter sets this toasted cheese sandwich down in front of me.  I told him I hadn't ordered it but then he said that the guy at the end of the counter bought it for me.  I looked over and there was the most gorgeous looking guy, raising his glass of OJ to me."  Jackie sighed.  "It was like something out of a movie!"

"More like a cheese commercial," Hyde grumped.  "Jackie, you can't go out with some guy just because he buys you a sandwich!  That's the oldest line in the book."

"It is?" Fez asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  "Maybe that's where I've been going wrong.  Instead of showing up for dates with a box of candy, I should offer a meatball sub."  His eyes widened at the implications.  "Then I can keep the candy for myself!"  He shot to his feet decisively.  "If you need me, I will be at the sandwich shop."

Hyde rolled his eyes.  "But, Fez – "

"I said sandwich shop!"  Fez cried, elbowing past Jackie in his dash to the door.

Jackie turned to Hyde with folded arms and a militant slant to her eyes.  "What is with you, Hyde?  Last night you were all about how Steven would have wanted me to move on and now you're being about as encouraging as Red Forman at one of Eric's roller disco tournaments!"

"I just think it's a little early to go dating some smarmy stranger you know nothing about.  I mean, damn it, I'm not even cold in my grave!"  Jackie gave him a confused look.  "I mean Steven – Steven isn't cold in his grave."

"He's not a stranger!  We talked for an hour and he told me about how he's the new intern at the hospital and he knows Kitty really well.  Oh, and Roger likes the Captain and Tennille almost as much as me!"

"Roger?" Hyde sneered.  "What kind of dorky name is that?"

"Well, I think it's great that you are moving on, Jackie," Donna decided.  "Just so long as you're not rushing into anything you're not ready for."

"Donna, if it hadn't been for last night I would have told Roger no thanks," Jackie said seriously. "Because my heart still belongs to Steven.  But last night when Hyde told me Steven would want me to move on, I had such a strong sense of his presence – and then today a handsome young doctor asks me out on a date; it must be a sign."

"Sure," Hyde said moodily.  "A sign that you'll fall for any dillhole who's easy to look at and gives you something for free."

Jackie turned on Hyde, eyes sparkling with irritation and hands on hips.

"You know, I thought I was wrong about you last night, that there was more to you than a callous don't-give-a-crap attitude.  But I guess I had you pegged right from the start.  You're still the same jerk who's got nothing better to do than rain on everybody's parade."  With that final assessment, Jackie flounced out of the basement.

"Well then," Donna opened.  "Looks like Jackie won't be needing your help after all.  Must be a relief to you that she's found a new guy to put the spring back in her step."

"Can it, Donna."  Hyde pulled himself up and headed towards his bedroom.

"Hyde, you are _not_ going into hibernation again," Donna ordered.

"Nah, just need a little solitude.  I've got some things I need to take care of."  Once he had closed the door behind him, he thought grimly _Like a plan to scare off Mr Rogers_.

It was time to reclaim what was his.


	5. The Battle of the Prince Charmings

**Chapter 5**

**Hello again! I won't apologise for taking a while with this chapter because I have worked on it nearly every day and it is super long (for me, anyway) and I am quite happy with it. In fact, I am bouncing on my toes imagining you, dear reader, learning of the latest plot twists that will shake our favourite people. So please review and put me out of my agitation.**

_"With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to the truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two."  
- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chapter 10_

There were a lot of things in his life that Hyde wished he could go back and do differently – a whole bumper crop in the last 3 months, in fact. His most recent regret was that he had aggravated Jackie to the point where she would not speak to him, a situation which made it kind of difficult to find out the where and when of her date with the sandwich-dispensing Roger. Luckily, he could always count on the unfailing loyalty of one of his oldest friends in his time of need.

"No, Hyde," Donna said flatly.

Hyde blinked. This was not the expected response.

"What do you mean no?"

"I mean you can quit pumping me for information about Jackie's date. I'm not telling you as much as the colour of the purse she's taking, so give it up."

"Geez, Donna, I was just trying to find out which night she's free to go the movies this week – with the gang, of course. Now you're taking my innocent question and blowing it up into some elaborate plot to sabotage her date? And people say _I'm_ a conspiracy nut!"

Donna rolled her eyes. "Right, so you make the special trip down to my radio station to interrupt me at work to ask me an 'innocent question'? I don't think so, Hyde. I'm not telling you anything unless..."

"Unless what?" Hyde replied warily.

"Unless you admit that you're still in love with Jackie." Hyde's mouth fell open, ready to object. "Without the sunglasses!" Donna added.

Hyde growled in frustration. "I told you, I don't love people!"

"Too bad," Donna said, flipping a record onto the turntable. "Because if you had wanted to nip Jackie's new romance in the bud because you were ready to offer her something better, I might have been willing to help you. But seeing as how you don't love her, I guess she's better off with Dr McGorgeous."

Angry blue eyes battled against calm green. "Fine!" Hyde bit out.

"So, you admit it then?" Donna smirked.

"No," Hyde retorted. "But you just missed out on movie night this week, sister! _And _I was going to spring for the big popcorn with extra butter!"

As Hyde stormed out, Donna sighed. The uncorking of Hyde's tender emotions was still a mountain yet to be scaled.

Hyde was so caught up in trying to come up with a Plan B in Operation Date-Disaster that he pretty much walked right into it without knowing.

"Hyde!" A familiar voice yelled, wrapping the surprised youth in a bear hug.

"Kelso?" Hyde said. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my first weekend off since Jackie's choo-choo jumped the tracks," Kelso replied. "I wanted to come down and make sure she's doing OK." He then broke out into a big dumb grin as he gawked at Hyde.

"What?"

"I can't believe she killed you off," Kelso laughed. "That is a white-hot burn!"

"It isn't funny, doofus," Hyde grumbled. "So, have you seen Jackie yet?"

"Yeah, I just left her place – she kicked me out so she could get ready for a date."

"That's tonight?" Hyde was thinking fast. "That doesn't leave me much time. Where's Mr Perfect taking her?"

"Oh, they're going to… wait a minute," Kelso halted, a light bulb flickering dimly over his head. "Why do you want to know?"

"No reason." Kelso looked disbelieving. "OK, I just want to make sure this guy isn't just some handsome idiot who thinks his good looks gives him a free pass into every pretty girl's pants." Hyde said, staring straight at Kelso.

"Yeah, I can't stand guys like that," Kelso said. "Hey Hyde, bet you can't guess how many bunnies I've done it with so far!"

"Stay with me here, Kelso. Where is Jackie's date taking her out to dinner tonight?"

"I'll do better than tell you," Kelso said. "I'll take you there."

"It'd be better if you just tell me."

"You know what would be even better? If you buy me dinner in return for me giving you the dirt."

"What? You're blackmailing me now?" Hyde was amazed. "Where did you get the balls to try something like that?"

"Life in the big city, man," Kelso explained as they walked towards Hyde's car. "It changes a man."

_The Vineyard Restaurant, 30 minutes later_

"The Vineyard?" Hyde said as they pulled up in front of Point Place's most upmarket restaurant. "Who's this guy trying to impress?"

"Jackie, from the looks of it," Kelso replied as they walked through the entrance. "Man, I haven't been here in years! I think there was some reason why I stopped coming." Kelso shrugged, dismissing the matter. "Oh well, it'll come to me. Meanwhile, I think I feel a lobster craving coming my way."

"Yeah, well it can keep on going," Hyde said. "I'm not paying for anything which doesn't come with a hamburger bun wrapped around it."

"Damn, Hyde! You are such a cheap date," Kelso pouted. "If Fez were here, he'd at least buy me a steak."

"I'm not Fez," Hyde said shortly, and turned away from Kelso to speak to the head-waiter.

"Michael?" a voice said from behind Kelso. He turned around to find the hungry eyes of his former landlord fixed upon him. "Well, well! Back from Chicago, are we? Point Place has not been as pretty a place since you left."

"Oh, hey Fenton," Kelso answered with his usual clueless grin. "Are you here on a date?"

"Not yet," Fenton sidled closer. "Although if you want to ditch the rough trade, I'll buy you all the steaks you want."

"Wow, that's cool of you to offer, but it's such a rare thing getting Hyde to take me out for dinner, I don't want to waste the opportunity."

"I see. And what part does your obnoxious roommate place in this little scenario? I can't help but notice he is conspicuous in his absence."

Kelso looked worried for a moment; Fez hated being left out of things. Kelso could imagine the storm of petulance that would be unleashed if he found out about tonight.

"Actually, I think it would be best if Fez doesn't know."

Fenton nodded knowingly. "Say no more. Normally I take a dim view about these kind of 'back-door' shenanigans," Fenton said with a wink, "but you do make a much better looking couple with Mr Steamy Sunglasses, so I'll let it slide."

Kelso smiled gratefully, the only thing registering was that Fenton was paying him some kind of compliment. "Thanks, Fenton."

"Hey, Kelso," Hyde hissed from the velvet rope where the waiter was motioning to a table. "Get your ass over here."

"So commanding," Fenton purred approvingly.

"Coming," Kelso yelled back. "See you, Fenton."

Fenton sighed longingly as he watched the beautiful specimen of manhood walk away from him. Then he grinned evilly as he remembered he would be collecting Fez's rent tomorrow. Somehow he had a feeling that who he bumped into on his evening out might accidentally find its way into their inevitable battle of wits.

"Keep your voice down, moron," Hyde said in a low voice when Kelso had loped over to his side. "Jackie is here – the last thing I need is to have her spot us."

"Alright, a stakeout!" Kelso cheered, careful not to turn his head as his eyes slid across the room to observe Jackie and a very good looking young man, eating their entrees. Of course, this made it difficult for him to see the table directly in his path.

"Oh for the love of..." Hyde quickly dived behind another table before anyone could observe him. Once the crash and tinkle of broken glassware had died down and a waiter had poured water on Kelso's sleeve which had caught fire from the lit candles, Hyde grabbed his friend by the collar and dragged him across to the other side of the room.

"What was that?" Jackie said, turning towards the sound of the commotion. She could not see over the other diners who were all standing up to a get a good view.

"I don't know," Roger answered. "You look so lovely tonight it's hard to take my eyes off you."

Jackie smiled perfunctorily at the compliment, the latest in Roger's extensive repertoire. What they lacked in originality, they made up for in quantity. She could not suppress the thought that maybe what made Steven's rare compliments so special was their involuntary nature, as though it went against what he believed in to feed her vanity but there were times he couldn't help himself. She shook her head. _I'm here with Roger_, she scolded herself. _Roger! Stop thinking about Steven._

"You know, whenever I hear breaking glass I always look around for Michael," Jackie joked.

"Michael," Roger repeated, sipping his cognac. "That was your ex, right?"

"One of them," Jackie said wistfully.

"I hope glass was the only thing he broke."

Jackie smiled wryly. "You mean my heart? He might have put a few cracks in it, but no serious damage." _Not compared to Steven. _Then she frowned at her own thoughts. Where did that come from?

Roger reached over and took her hand. "I'm glad to hear it. No pain should ever come to such a beautiful girl."

Jackie wished she could feel some appreciation for her date's ability to say all the right things. Unfortunately, the only thing she could feel was nausea.

"Son of a bitch," Hyde cussed as he watched the smooth stranger take possession of Jackie's creamy porcelain skinned hand. "Can you believe this guy?"

"Yeah, he's not doing too bad," Kelso said judiciously as he gnawed on a breadstick. "My Jackie-make-out record could be in some serious danger here."

"What record?"

"You know – the record. How long it takes you to do it with a girl, taking the first date as the starting pistol. I am currently the record holder."

"Yeah, right. One year and 2 months of panting and begging. You're a regular Lothario – or slothario."

"Hey, I beat you," Kelso reminded. Hyde was about to deny this when Kelso pointed a finger at him. "From the _first _date, Hyde! Which means you waited for her for at least 2 years."

"That doesn't even – damn, I am not doing this again."

"Doing what?"

"Getting dragged into some stupid competition with you. That's how I always mess my life up, thinking I have to measure up to you – you, a guy who can't even walk across a room without setting himself on fire!" Hyde shook his head in disbelief. "Man, I really have been a dumbass."

"Well, it's about time you realised that," Kelso said. "We've been laying bets on how long it would take you to pull your head out of your ass." Kelso leaned forward, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "So are you ready to drop the whole 'I'm-only-here-to-look-out-for-Jackie' act or are you going after your girl?"

Hyde measured his friend for a moment. He then took off his sunglasses, folded the stems carefully and placed them in his shirt pocket. "Yeah, OK," he agreed nonchalantly.

"So, what's the plan?" Kelso asked eagerly.

"We have to get her away from that guy for starters."

"I've got it! I'll shoot spit-balls at him until he goes running for cover." Kelso offered, reaching into his jacket pocket for his pea-shooter.

"Put that away," Hyde growled, slapping it out of Kelso's hand. "You think no-one will notice you doing that? Quit making us the centre of attention and play it cool like me."

"Hyde?" A loud, extremely stoned, voice cried. "You're dead, Man!"

"Leo!" Hyde groaned. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Me? Dude, me eating out in a fine restaurant is not as freaky a thing as you rising from the grave." Leo thought about this and then admitted fairly, "Whoa, wait a second, maybe it is!"

"Leo, we've been over this. I am not dead, I've never been dead. In fact, my plan is to live forever and screw the government over for an unending pension. Now move along before someone notices – "

"Hyde?" another loud voice behind Hyde yelled.

"Crap!" As Leo drifted away, Hyde turned around to face Jackie who was regarding her former boyfriends with a little confusion but a lot of suspicion.

"What are you two doing here?"

"The same thing as you and your date," Kelso replied, trying to brazen things out. Jackie drew back a step, a funny look on her face.

"Hyde's your... date?"

"He means eating dinner," Hyde rushed to add. "Right?" Hyde dealt Kelso a swift kick under the table.

"Of course," Kelso yelped. "Just because two guys go out to dinner together and one of the guys pays for the other, that doesn't mean that anything kinky is gonna happen."

"You tell him, Michael," a passing Fenton said, raising a fist in solidarity. "Dinner isn't enough – you have to make him work for it."

Before Hyde could explode, Roger was at Jackie's side, sliding an arm around her waist with a familiarity that made Hyde grind his teeth. "And who is this young couple?" he asked genially.

"We're not a couple," Hyde ground out.

"This is Michael and Hyde," Jackie introduced. "They're my friends – sort of."

"Ah, you must be the ex," Roger realised.

"Yeah," Hyde and Kelso said at the same time, and then shot a look at each other.

"What, you both dated Jackie?" Roger asked, puzzled.

"Oh no, just Michael," Jackie laughed. "Me and Hyde? Can you imagine?"

Hyde smiled weakly. "Yeah, that'd be a trip. Hey, since we all just happened to be eating at the same place tonight, why don't you two pull up a chair and we can all get to know each other a little better." Roger looked unconvinced.

"Well, we were just enjoying some alone time..." he began.

"Come on, Rog," Kelso said, snatching a chair from another table (just before a white haired gentleman was about to sit on it). He pressed down on Roger's shoulder until he was sitting in the chair. "We just want to find out if you're good enough for our girl Jackie."

"Trust me," Jackie said with attitude, taking a seat, "compared to you, Michael, he is freaking Prince Charming."

"Compared to Kelso," Hyde said, fiddling with the salt shaker. "How about compared to Steven?"

A look of pain crossed Jackie's face. "I... I don't want to discuss Steven tonight."

"Steven who?" Roger asked. Jackie bit her bottom lip so Hyde spoke up for her.

"Steven was Jackie's last boyfriend," he explained, his eyes never leaving Jackie's face. "Jackie doesn't like to talk about him because he kind of... lost his life, out in Vegas."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Roger said to Jackie. He took her hand and squeezed it consolingly, never realising how close that simple action brought him to being bludgeoned by Hyde's breadstick. "So, was he your Prince Charming, Jackie?"

"I wouldn't call him that," Hyde spoke before Jackie could. "He wasn't that great at the romantic gestures and the pretty words. And he had a bad habit of making really stupid decisions when he was drunk or angry. But he did love Jackie with all his heart."

For the first time Jackie raised her eyes to Hyde's. Blue eyes bore into green/blue, as though trying to project an urgent message. Roger shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he felt the intensity level rise between the two sworn enemies.

"He did?" she whispered.

"Always, Jackie," Hyde answered softly. He watched closely as Jackie's forehead crinkled, as though wrestling with some forgotten memory. _Come on, baby_, he prayed. _Remember_.

But someone else's memory was triggered instead. "Uh oh," Kelso said. "Um, Hyde, I just remembered the reason why I don't come to the Vineyard anymore."

Hyde turned with irritation on his friend who had just broken the spell. "Kelso, what the – "

"That's him!" The strident voice of crazy Caroline rang out accusingly. "That's the guy who dined and dashed on 243 dollars worth of meals!" Hyde looked around to find two buff looking waiters backing up the unstable hostess. Her glare shifted over to Hyde. "And I'm sure I remember that guy was there at least one of those times!"

Kelso stood up and held up his hands in appeasement. "Look, I'm sure if we could just sit down and discuss this like adults we could find a solu – Hyde, cheese it!" With the abruptness of a cartoon character, Kelso made a break for the front door. Hyde frantically looked from the menacing waiters and back to Jackie, who was holding a menu in front of her face so she would not get recognised as Kelso's unwitting partner in crime.

"Crap." Next thing he knew, he was following in his doofus friend's dust trail.

"So," Roger said, unnerved by all the subtexts and dramas of the night. He searched his wavy blonde-haired head for the right thing to say. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight?"

Jackie sighed. "Yeah, I think it's come up a few times."

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The mood in the basement the next morning was not at its brightest. Kelso found himself sitting on the couch, bookended by two angry friends.

"C'mon, Man, I told you I was sorry," Kelso whined to Hyde.

"Yeah, well, sorry doesn't put 243 dollars back in my wallet," Hyde replied bitingly. "Not to mention you screwed up my chances with Jackie – again!"

Kelso pouted sadly and then turned his big brown eyes on Fez.

"Fez, you know I would have asked you to come to dinner with us if I'd had time. It was just so last minute…"

"Do not even attempt to excuse yourself, you heartbreaking son of a bitch," Fez ordered in huffy tones. "You do not even let me know you are coming back to town and then you go out to dinner with Hyde! Was it Hyde who made a home for you? Was it Hyde who fixed hot cocoa for you when you couldn't sleep? Was it Hyde who massaged moisturiser into your glorious hair?"

"No, it most definitely was not," Hyde broke in with disgust. "God, no wonder Fenton thinks you two are gay." Kelso and Fez looked amazed by this idea.

"What are you talking about?"

"That's crazy!"

"Don't listen to him, guys," Donna said, looking up from her Rolling Stone magazine with a smirk, "Fenton doesn't think that – not after last night, anyway. Not now that Kelso has found a new lov-er."

Naturally this comment evoked a storm of denials, accusations and burns that completely drowned out Jackie's entrance. She had to switch to her most piercing volume to get their attention, the one that was as effective as firing a pistol into the ceiling.

"GUYS!" she yelled.

They turned to the cause of the source of the controversy to find her positively glowing, a huge smile stretched across her face. Hyde felt his heart drop down to his shoes at the sight. Her evening must have finished well, going by her blissful expression.

Once all eyes were on her, Jackie said "I have an important announcement to make." An exciting announcement as well, judging from the way she was effervescing, bouncing lightly on her toes.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with the young doctor," Donna hazarded, but sparing a compassionate glance for Hyde. In spite of her teasing, she had really hoped he would win back his princess. But Jackie surprised her when she dismissed Roger with a wave of her hand, as though she was swatting away a fly.

"Phsaw," she said. "I don't think I'll be hearing from him again." Hyde's head came back up at this.

"Why's that?"

"Well, I kind of threw up all over the dashboard of his BMW when he was driving me home last night," Jackie admitted.

"Oh yeah," Kelso agreed. "That's the kiss off of death, puking on a guy's ride."

"If your date ended badly, why are you popping like a bowl of Rice Krispies?" Donna quizzed.

"Because Roger, being a doctor, guessed what was wrong with me after he'd asked a few questions. And what is wrong is so incredibly right, I can't begin to describe it."

"Could you please try?" Fez begged. "You know I can't handle suspense well."

Jackie straightened up, taking a slow breath. "Alright, here goes. My wonderful news is – Steven is not dead after all!"

Hyde jumped to his feet and started towards her. "Oh my God," he cried. "Jacks, you remembered – "

But Jackie bulldozed over his interruption " – because he is going to live on through the child I am carrying."

Hyde stopped dead in his tracks, face paling to the colour of rice paper. "What?" he croaked.

The last thing he heard as his vision turned to white light was Jackie saying, "What's with Hyde? Is it something I said?"


	6. Welcome Back, Eric!

Chapter 6

**Back again! My effusive thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, especially Hyde's Bride who never fails to lift my spirits. In this chapter another beloved cast member makes his return – I'm sure you will all welcome him back with open arms.**

_"Some day... you may perhaps come to learn the right and wrong of this. I cannot tell you."  
- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chapter 6_

As Eric Forman walked up the driveway of the little house in Point Place that he called home, he set down his bags with a happy sigh. Through the window he could see his mother humming to herself as she stirred something delicious on the stove; he could imagine her hysterical joy when he walked through the sliding door, 6 months earlier than anyone was expecting him. But as his gaze wandered to the house next door, he felt there was another woman in his life who deserved the first reunion.

Donna was catching up on her pre-college reading list when Eric walked through her bedroom door, as casually as if they had not spent the past 6 months on different sides of the world. _A Tale of Two Cities _fell from her frozen fingers.

"Eric! What the hell?" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"So, to get to Africa, do I make a right at China or a left at Australia?" Eric asked. "You know how bad I am with directions."

In the next moment Donna and Eric were meshed together in each other's arms, trying to make up for 6 months of absence in 5 minutes of contact. That was until passion took a backseat to curiosity.

"I can't believe you're back! But don't you still have 6 months of your term left?"

"I left early," Eric said. "I know it means I won't have all of the tuition I need for college but I'll get a job here and make it up."

"Was it the bugs?" Donna asked with a knowing look. "Did a spider look at you the wrong way?"

"Please, Donna," Eric huffed. "In the past few months I have ridden an elephant, hunted lions and faced down a rhinoceros." He dropped his eyes and shuddered. "But yeah, spiders do still creep me out." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of notepaper. "But that's not why I came home early. This is why."

Donna took the paper and opened a letter in Eric's handwriting. _Dear Donna_, she read. _After much thought and soul searching I can't escape the reality that this long distance relationship isn't fair to you. I believe you and I need to move on with our lives and start seeing other people._ That was as far as she read before she raised angry eyes to her boyfriend. "What the hell is this crap? You come all the way back home to break up with me – by a letter?"

"No, Donna, I'm not breaking up with you," Eric said emphatically. "But when I was overseas I felt so distanced from you that I thought the only thing fair would be to set you free so I wouldn't be holding you back anymore. It was just when I was about to drop that letter in the village mailbox that I realised how twisted my thinking was. I mean, going to Africa was supposed to be the means by which I could make a future for us. Suddenly I found myself giving up the dream just to hold onto the means. So I said to hell with that and booked the first flight home." Eric laughed ironically. "I can just hear the 'dumbass' from Red now when I run that reasoning by him."

"You won't hear it from me," Donna said softly, regarding her boyfriend with melting eyes. She kissed him slowly and tenderly, before pulling back to ask, "Who else knows you're home?"

"Including you? That would be… you."

"You haven't seen your parents? Or Fez? Or Jackie and Hyde?"

"No, no and what is going on with those two? I've got to say, it was hard to make sense of everyone's letters when it came to them. First Hyde married a stripper and then Jackie killed Hyde but he wasn't really dead but everyone has to pretend he's dead? What the hell have you people been smoking while I was gone?"

"It's a long story which does bear a striking resemblance to something written by crazed lunatics on a bad trip – well, the stripper part, anyway. But come on, your mother will never forgive me if I deprive her of her baby boy much longer."

It was a tearful reunion when Eric walked into that comfortable kitchen. Kitty nearly succeeded where the African pythons had failed with her exuberant hugs and even Red, when he came home from the muffler shop, had a choked-up gruffness in his voice when he said "Welcome home, Dumbass". And then Fez came along and the tears and hugging started all over again. But eventually the younger generation managed to escape down to their underground sanctuary. Eric breathed a sigh of deep contentment as he sank down onto the basement couch. Never had he appreciated its wonderfully familiar creaking springs more.

"So, who wants to catch me up?" he inquired. "What did I miss?"

Fez looked thoughtful. "Well, they have a new slurpee flavour at the 7-11 now – bubblegum. Can you believe the sheer brilliance of turning candy into a drink?"

"Fez, I think he means what's happening with the people he knows," Donna clarified.

"Oh, you know how it is around here, Eric," Fez said. "Nothing really changes in Point Place."

Just then the outside door to the basement flew open and in walked a small brunette who stopped short when she saw Eric. "Oh my God, Eric? Is that you?!"

Eric's jaw swung downwards when his eyes zeroed in on Jackie's prominent baby bump. "Jackie? Is that you?"

With a squeal Jackie launched herself at Eric, wrapping him in his fiftieth hug for the day. "I can't believe this!" she cried.

"Neither can I," Eric said in amazement as he gingerly put his arms around her. "That is – you are pregnant, right? You haven't just gotten fat and I've put my foot in my mouth by asking that?"

"Of course I'm pregnant, silly," Jackie said, slapping Eric's shoulder.

"And the father is…?"

"Steven," Jackie confirmed. As she said this Hyde walked through the door.

"Jackie, you left your sweater in my car," he said, holding out the article to her. He then noticed Eric. "Hey, Forman! What are you doing back so soon?" He greeted his friend with a manly hug. "Did you already teach those kids everything you knew? I guess I shouldn't be surprised that only took 6 months. Actually, I'm surprised it took longer than 6 days."

"Nice burn, Hyde," Jackie chuckled. Hyde looked over at her.

"Aren't you going to put that on?"

She shrugged. "I'm not really cold."

"There's no central heating in here."

"I'm still warm from the car ride," Jackie protested. "You had the heat blasting all the way from the doctor's office."

"Jackie, will you just put the damn sweater on," Hyde finished the argument.

"Fine," Jackie snapped. "Nag," she said under her breath.

"I heard that." Jackie stuck out her tongue at Hyde in response.

Eric looked on in amused wonder. "Well, I see you two have sorted out your differences."

"Who, me and Hyde? Yes, I guess you could say that," Jackie agreed, throwing a friendly smile towards Hyde.

Donna started to look worried. "Uh, Eric, it's not like you th – "

"Man, this is great! Donna and I are back together, you two are back together and having a baby – wow! Happily ever afters all round. So, when's the wedding set for? You'll probably want it soon so your belly doesn't crowd out everyone else in the wedding photos."

Jackie looked at Eric, complete bafflement written all over her face. "Eric, what are you babbling about?"

Now it was Eric's turn to look confused. "Why, you and Hyde of course."

"You think that Hyde and I are a couple? Where did you ever get a crazy idea like that?"

"But… but you said it was his baby," Eric said, looking around at his friends like a drowning man hoping for a life preserver. All he got were the familiar 'I-can't-believe-he-said-that' looks.

"No, I said it was _Steven's _baby," Jackie corrected. She turned to Hyde whose expression convincingly switched from irritation with Forman to mirror the incredulity on her face. "Can you believe this? It's one thing for waiters and cinema ushers and fat girls I ignored in High School to mix you up with my Steven, but for Eric to make the same mistake?"

"I know," Hyde agreed. "He must be high. Forman, whatever African herb you've been sandblasting your brain cells with these last 6 months – I hope you brought some back for the rest of us." He shifted his attention back to Jackie for a moment. "Not you, Jacks." She rolled her eyes as he patted her backside, pointing her towards the door. "Scoot."

"Fine," she said. "I'll just go see what special welcome home feast Mrs Forman is making for Eric – and then I'm going to eat your share, Hyde."

"Whatever," he replied. "But stay away from any shrimp. I read in one of your baby books that pregnant women shouldn't eat shellfish."

"Nag!" Jackie yelled back from the top of the stairs.

"I heard that," Hyde called back. He looked over to see Eric regarding him as though alien antennas had just sprouted from his fro. "What?"

"You're reading baby books?"

Hyde frowned. "Of course. She's having my kid, Forman, I've got to keep myself informed so I can know what we've gotten ourselves into."

"But she just said…"

"Eric," Donna sighed. "Jackie doesn't know that it's Hyde's baby she's having."

"OK, I guess I really must be high," Eric said. "Or else you all are."

"No-one's high, Forman, but to understand this situation, it probably wouldn't hurt."

_15 minutes later…_

"So then Jackie came charging through the door after her date with Dr Wavy Hair and announced she was pregnant," Hyde finished, as he passed the joint onto Eric.

"No way," Eric said. "How did you take it?"

Hyde shrugged. "I was cool with it."

Fez laughed hysterically. "It took us 20 minutes to bring him around. Miss Kitty had to fetch her smelling salts."

Donna joined in the laughter. "And then he was all 'Oh crap, Oh crap, Oh crap'. He couldn't put a sentence together for an hour."

"But after that," Hyde said with an oppressive frown. "I was cool with it."

"But I don't get it," Eric said. "Why are you still keeping up the pretence? Why don't you just tell her the truth now? I mean, Hyde wants to be with her, right? Surely finding out the love of her life didn't die in a blazing stripper club car wreck can only be good news?"

"Eric, we've been saying that for the last 3 months," Donna said, exchanging glowering looks with Hyde. "Your parents, my parents, even Jackie's doctor said that under the circumstances it was time to nudge Jackie back into the real world. But Hyde won't hear of it."

"The doctor said telling her the truth _probably _wouldn't be dangerous," Hyde explained. "But I'm not chancing Jackie's health or my kid's life on a _probably_. I saw what a mess she was when she first started up this Jekyll and Hyde business. If forcing the truth on her triggers another episode like that, God knows what the stress could do to her and the baby."

Eric contemplated Hyde in sympathy. He could understand where his friend was coming from; if it was Donna in that position, he knew he would do everything he could to protect her. "So, what's your plan? You're not giving up, are you?"

"Hell, no," Hyde answered. "I'm just taking a different route. Maybe Jackie will remember our past, maybe she won't. Maybe she's better off having a dead boyfriend who didn't devastate her by marrying a stripper than having a living one who did. But I have one advantage in this – if Steven Jekyll never broke her heart, then neither did Steven Hyde. Her selective memory has given me the blank slate I need to win her back, so that's what I've been doing."

Fez snapped his fingers and pointed at Hyde. "That's why you were encouraging her to date other guys! You were prepping her so you could ask her out."

Donna chuckled. "No wonder you were so put out when Roger beat you to it and asked her out first."

"So, is it working?" Eric asked. "How goes the pitching of the woo?"

"The woo goes well," Donna replied with a smirk. "As soon as Hyde scraped himself up off the floor after finding out about the baby, he found Jackie and told her he wanted to be there for her every step of the way through her pregnancy so she wouldn't have to be alone."

"Yes, it was very touching," Fez agreed. "I was hiding in the shower recess at the time and that drain caught more than a few of my manly tears when Jackie hugged Hyde in gratitude."

"That's when I found him skulking there. He was crying for different reasons after that," Hyde said.

Fez pouted. "It is hard to believe a man who can say such tender things to the woman who is carrying his child can be the same merciless bastard who gives his friends purple nurples."

"Well, from what I saw, you and Jackie seem pretty close," Eric decided. "I'm sure it won't be long before she is falling into your arms."

"Yep, she is definitely on the edge," Hyde said with satisfaction. "And tomorrow I have a surprise for her that is going to push her right over it."

"Ooh, I love surprises," Fez cried, clapping his hands. "Does it have anything to do with all those cardboard boxes in your room?"

"How did you know about the boxes in my room?"

Fez looked nervous. "No reason." Hyde looked at him. "I wasn't spying on you and Jackie doing Lamaze exercises together, I swear. Although all that heavy breathing is kind of sexy and… No, Hyde, not the left one! It has only just got back to its rightful colour!"

After things had settled down, aided by some intervention from Donna and a refill of the pipe from Eric, the skinny traveller of the group said speculatively, "So, Jekyll and Hyde, hey? It figures that your romance with the devil would turn into a classic horror story."

"They are not a horror story," Fez said loyally. "They are more like a fairy tale."

Hyde screwed up his face in distaste. "A fairy tale? Fez, do me a favour and don't defend me."

"Actually," Donna said thoughtfully, "I'm with Fez on this one. What happened to you after Chicago, Hyde, is just like a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Anderson."

"This Hans person wrote fairy tales about strippers?" Fez asked eagerly. "Then I would like to see more of his work."

"I'm thinking about a particular fairy tale – The Snow Queen. Do you remember that one, Eric?"

"The Snow Queen," Eric repeated. "Of course! Hyde is so Little Kay."

"Totally," Donna agreed.

"Hey! There's nothing little about me," Hyde objected.

When Fez begged to hear the story, Donna complied. "Little Kay and Gerda were a boy and girl who lived next door to each other and grew to love each other dearly. But then a splinter from a troll mirror got blown into Little Kay's eye and into his heart. It made everything he saw through his eyes distorted and ugly to him, and it turned his heart to ice. Then he became cruel and abusive to Gerda and ran off with the Snow Queen whose kisses made him forget about Gerda. She put some enchantment on him to keep him trapped in her ice castle forever."

Nothing was said for a minute. Then Hyde asked diffidently, "So, what, are you going to just leave us hanging there? You know Fez is dying to know how it ended."

"Well, since _Fez _wants to know so badly, what happened is Gerda tracked Little Kay to the Snow Queen's castle and saved him – she took the splinter out of his eye and melted his heart with her love."

"I like that story better," Hyde said. His friends nodded in agreement. Then Fez started snorting with laughter. "What?"

"You are so Little Kay," Fez howled, falling backwards off his chair in hilarity.

**A.N. So, how am I doing? **


	7. Breakthrough

**Chapter 7**

**A.N. Glad that everyone liked The Snow Queen parallel – I've always wanted to slip that into one of my stories because Hyde really is so Little Kay! You've probably been wondering what has been going through Jackie's mind throughout all this drama – perhaps this is all some elaborate burn on her part? Like she could keep a secret this long! Anyway, read on and find out!**

_You start a question, and it's like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the stone goes, starting others… No, sir, I make it a rule of mine: the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask.  
__- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_

The El Camino was purring sedately down the road, in contrast to its usual open challenge to speed limits. But then whenever Hyde was driving Jackie these days, he drove at a pace which had senior citizens overtaking him. Jackie had found it irksome in the beginning but lately she enjoyed these lazy drives; the slower they drove, the more time she had to spend with Hyde.

She turned her head slightly on the headrest so that she could take in his profile as he concentrated on the road. He really was a good looking man. When she had first renewed her acquaintance with him, that time that Donna had rushed her to the hospital for some emergency "grief counselling" with Dr Hammond, all she had felt was a strong aversion to him, stronger than her vague memories of his put-downs warranted. Maybe it was his ragged wardrobe, but she had thought there was something… unclean about him, as though he were tainted in some way. The first time that the fry cook at the Hub mistook him for her late boyfriend, she had been amazed that anyone could confuse the two men. Her Steven had been so handsome and strong and noble, while Hyde with his apathetic manner and soulless eyes was the complete opposite. She assumed the fact they both had the same first name was the cause of any identity confusion. But now as she let her eyes trail slowly over Hyde, she began to see a certain physical resemblance between the two men. After all, Steven had the same curly hair, and they were much the same height. Even his eyes had lost their shadowy cast lately and were now as gorgeously blue as her late lover's. The problem was that every day it was harder to clearly remember what her Steven had looked like. She had burned all her photos of him the first day of her Shiva vigil, although she couldn't remember now exactly why she did that. She wished she had kept a few, if only to clear up the issue of the resemblance between Steven and Hyde.

"Like what you see?" Hyde said with a cock-eyed smile, not turning his head.

"I was just mentally shaving off your side-burns," Jackie lied. "You know, you'd almost be presentable enough to take out in public without them."

Hyde scoffed. "Put away your razor, Delilah. No woman messes with the burns – they are the source of my badass burning powers, and I'm not risking going the way of Samson."

Jackie chuckled. "So, where are you taking me today? And why all the secrecy?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"But I want to know now," Jackie whined, throwing in a pout for good measure.

"Patience, grasshopper," Hyde said as he turned into the driveway of a modern-looking block of condos. "For once stop rushing me and let me do things in my own time."

Jackie frowned as that uneasy feeling came over her again – Hyde calling her by the nickname Steven gave her when he taught her zen, Hyde implying some past history where she had pressured him. It was no wonder that she was having these moments where she couldn't be sure if a memory belonged to Steven or to Hyde. She was shaken from her thoughts when she realised the car was parked and Hyde was holding her door open for her.

Jackie was bubbling with questions, but she put on her most zen face and coolly took Steven's arm as he walked her to the main entrance. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing that she was overpoweringly curious as to who they were visiting in this charming development. She managed to keep her cool right up to the moment that they were standing at the door of one of the condos but could not hold back when she saw him take out a key and slot it into the lock.

"Hyde! What are you doing? Whose place is this? Why do you have a key to it?"

"It's customary for the owner to have a key," Hyde explained as he drew her into the empty apartment. "Blame it on those crazy property laws."

"You _own_ this place?" Jackie repeated in amazement. "Since when?"

"Since three days ago," Hyde replied. "Would you like to have the grand tour?" He took her dumbfounded shock for acquiescence and took her through each room, which consisted of a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms.

"This – this is incredible, Hyde," Jackie said as she looked over the second bedroom which had a lovely view over Point Place Park. "I had no idea you were looking to move out of the Formans' house."

"There comes a time when a man has to take stock of his life, you know," Hyde explained. "I figured living in someone else's basement is thinking kind of small – it's time I started going after the things I want." Hyde watched Jackie's face intently as she surveyed the walk-in wardrobe approvingly. "Do you like this room? You could always paint it a different colour if you thought it needed it."

"Oh no, the room is lovely," Jackie answered. "What are you going to do with it? You probably don't need two bedrooms. Are you going to turn this into an office?"

"Well, actually, there are three bedrooms," Hyde said a little awkwardly. When Jackie regarded him with wide eyes, he wished he hadn't left his shades in the car; he could just feel his face heating up.

"What are you going to do with three bedrooms?" Jackie was honestly mystified.

"The third one isn't exactly a bedroom, it's more of a… here, let me just show you." Hyde opened a connecting door into the next room to reveal a beautiful little space painted in a sunny golden colour with a frieze of unicorns and teddybears running around the walls. This room was the only one in the apartment that was furnished; a crib, change table, toy chest and bookcase filled out the room, clearly stating its purpose. There were even a few stuffed animals that Hyde had smuggled out of Jackie's house. When Jackie turned her wide eyes on him, lost for words, he found himself nervously filling the silence. "I just thought that when the baby comes it would be easier for me to keep an eye on you two if we were all living together – it'll save on gas and phone bills, so it's just good financial sense really. And this place has a really good security system and a swimming pool – fully fenced, I made sure of that. And it's right next to the playground for when the little guy - or girl - gets a bit bigger and there is a top-rated preschool just down the next block so you'll have time to take those design courses at the community college like you want to." Jackie continued to look at him blankly, making Hyde even more nervous. "Okay, could you please say something now because I'm starting to get cotton-mouth so it would really help if you could – "

"Oh, Steven," Jackie cried as she jumped into his arms, clamping her hands behind his back. She hugged him ecstatically while Hyde stood still in shock. Steven. She had called him Steven.

Slowly he reached his arms around her and returned her embrace. It had been so long since he had held her like this that it made him a little dazed. When she pulled her head up to express her thanks she suddenly found his face in close proximity to hers. Strangely enough, he was not moving his head back and it never entered her mind that she could widen the distance to a more friend-like zone. She blamed his blue eyes for her frozen state; they were hypnotising in their uncovered depths, stirring sensations in her body she had not felt since Steven had left her. Steven… wait, had she just called Hyde Steven? Oh God, what a stupid gaff to make – he must be so insulted to have her tongue slip into her old boyfriend's name, even though it was his name as well but still… her internal ramblings were halted just then as Hyde suddenly covered her mouth with his own. His kiss sent tiny electric shocks throughout her entire body, lighting her up from the inside and shutting down her reasoning mechanism. His hands left a trail of fire as he moved them across her back, at first gently and then more urgently, as though he were starving for more of her. That was until he felt two small hands on his chest, pushing him away.

"Jacks," he began, reaching out to her. But she was trembling and holding up her hand like a stop sign.

"We can't… Stev – I mean, Hyde, this is wrong! I'm not supposed to feel – that is, I think I might be getting you mixed up with…"

"Steven?" Hyde finished. Jackie hung her head in shame.

"It's crazy, I know," she cried. "It's just lately you keep reminding me of him so much – you've even started looking like him, to my eyes, anyway. I'm so sorry, I know it's awful of me."

"No, Jacks, it's fine," Hyde soothed, gently drawing her back into his arms. She put her head on his shoulder as he stroked her silky hair.

"I'm such a mess of a girl," Jackie sighed as tears leaked from her beautiful eyes.

"No, baby, you're not," Hyde denied forcefully. "I don't mind you confusing me with Steven – believe me, if I can finally kiss you the way I've been aching to, I don't mind at all."

"Really?" Jackie said doubtfully.

"To be honest – I kind of like you calling me Steven."

"Steven Hyde," Jackie said wonderingly, "You are the most generous, understanding man in Wisconsin. Are you sure you want me and the baby to live with you? Even though it's another man's child?"

"Jackie," Hyde said, cupping her face in his hands so she could see the sincerity in his eyes, "there is nothing I want more than to have you in my life. I'll take whatever role you're willing to give me – if you want to keep it as just friends, I can do that. But you must know by now that I feel a lot more than just friendship for you."

"I… I feel more than friendship as well," Jackie admitted.

"Good to know," Hyde said with a smile, kissing her. "And as for the baby," Hyde put his hand gently over Jackie's belly. "I swear to you that I will love this baby as if it were my own. I already do."

This was all Jackie needed. Her last doubt about Steven Hyde was swept away and he was immediately canonised in her eyes as a shining white knight. She reached up and pulled his head down to her lips, initiating romantic contact for the first time. Hyde was quick to respond and soon clothes were being unbuttoned, skin bared and sensitive areas caressed. He was just lifting her up in his arms when a thought occurred to him.

"Damn!" he cursed. She looked a question. "I forgot – there are no beds in this place yet."

Jackie mulled this over for a moment before saying hesitantly "That shag carpeting in the master bedroom looked pretty comfortable." Hyde's face lit up.

"That's right!" Cradling his long-awaited prize, he took quick strides towards said bedroom. "And you know what 'shag' means in England."

Jackie giggled softly. "Then by all means, good sir, let's have a jolly good time!"

//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00//00

A few hours later Hyde and Jackie walked into the basement holding hands, an uncharacteristic grin plastered over Hyde's face.

"I'm going to take a wild guess that surprise you were talking about worked out for you," Eric said, setting down his star-cruiser model.

"Will someone please tell me what the surprise was?" Fez asked tearfully. "I tossed and turned all night wondering what Hyde had planned for Jackie. And then I started fantasising that it might by a sexy surprise and my needs kept me awake."

"Fez, if you don't keep your dirty mind away from my girlfriend, I'll end your 'needs' on a permanent basis," Hyde threatened. Fez immediately cupped his privates protectively. "Although you did guess pretty close."

"Steven," Jackie reproached, embarrassed.

"Alright! Jackie's your girlfriend again!" Kelso exclaimed. "You see, Donna? I told you I didn't screw up their lives forever!"

"What is he talk – " Jackie began.

"Jackie is more than just my girlfriend," Hyde quickly interposed. "As from tomorrow we're going to be roommates."

This led to a full description of the day's events (edited to Jackie's tasteful standards, although Hyde's sated grin filled in the blanks), followed by a round of beers (and apple juice for Jackie) to toast the new couple. When that moment came to ascend the stairs and break the news to Red and Kitty, Hyde was relieved that Kitty was not as emotional as he had feared. Although her bottom lip wobbled slightly, she did manage not to call Jackie a man-stealing strumpet. Instead, as she embraced the small brunette she said to Hyde "Steven, I am so proud of you, facing up to your responsibilities like this."

"Thanks, Mrs Forman."

"Same here, son," Red agreed, placing his hand on Hyde's shoulder. "It's not every day a man gets a second chance. Try not to blow it this time."

Jackie frowned slightly. More and more these days she had the feeling of being left out of the loop on a piece of vital information. It reminded her of when she was dating Michael and everyone knew he was cheating on her but no-one told her. She did not like that feeling any more now than she did back then.

"Steven," Jackie said as they were driving home (his name was now coming naturally to her lips), "what did Mr Forman mean about a second chance?"

Hyde's gaze darted to her concentrated expression and then back to the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel more tightly.

"I don't know," he replied. "Probably thinking about Sam, I guess."

"That doesn't really fit," Jackie said. "I mean, if we said we were getting married then I guess it makes sense, but that's not the case."

"Yeah, I guess," Hyde said, his voice a little strangled at mention of the "M" word. "Do you want it to be the case?"

"Huh?"

"You know – getting married."

"Hyde, we've only been together for 6 and a half hours," Jackie laughed. "I think it's a little too soon to be thinking of marriage."

"Right, sure," Hyde agreed, although his voice did not carry much confidence.

"And what was up with Michael?" Jackie continued on her original line of inquiry. "Why did he say I was your girlfriend _again_? I mean, I know he's not all that bright but I never thought he was delusional."

"Heh, who knows what goes on in that kettle-head," Hyde shrugged.

"It's just sometimes I get this feeling… Steven, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Like what?" Hyde said, guarded.

"I don't know. It just seems like everybody is in on some big joke except me."

Hyde was silent at first and then broke into a light laugh. "Hey, I thought I was supposed to be the conspiracy theorist. You trying to take my title away from me?"

"So, there's nothing going on?" Jackie asked uncertainly. Hyde put his arm around her waist and drew her alongside, resting his hand on her bump.

"Jacks, I swear, having you move in with me with a baby on the way – these are all new experiences for me. And really good experiences too, I should add."

"Even the carpet burn on your butt?" Jackie asked with a wry grin.

"Especially that," Hyde said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Jackie sighed happily and decided to put aside her niggling doubts in favour of reflecting on the extremely pleasant events of the day.

But of course, a doubt that niggles will not be ignored for long.

**Next chapter, Jackie discovers all – so Hyde had better watch out!**


	8. A Walk to Remember

**A.N. I was pleasantly surprised by all the reviews to the last chapter. I hope you guys will raise the bar and completely stun me with your response to this one! Consider it an early Christmas present if you like. **

_Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Dr. Jekyll. He came out of his seclusion, renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer… He was busy, he was much in the open air, he did good; his face seemed to open and brighten, as if with an inward consciousness of service; and for more than two months, the doctor was at peace.  
- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chapter 6_

"Hey, Eric!"

Eric shot an irritated sideways glance at his friend. "What is it now, Kelso?"

"I've got grit between my toes."

Eric looked unbelievingly at Kelso. "Well, that might have something to do with the fact that we're walking barefoot along the highway."

"But I don't like grit between my toes," the tall boy whined.

"Kelso," Donna ground out, speaking over her shoulder. "Look around you. I think a little foot discomfort is the least of our problems right now."

"Oh, I'm looking, Big D," Kelso said with a leer. "And this view almost makes up for the grit." Eric promptly punched Kelso in the shoulder. "Ow!"

"Eyes straight ahead, Dillhole," Eric ordered.

"Cut me some slack, man," Kelso reasoned. "You honestly expect me not to look when I'm walking behind a hot naked chick? What am I, superman? Sure, I've got the bod to fill out those blue tights, but the resemblance ends there."

"Shut up, Kelso," Donna snapped. "You could at least try to control your unnatural perverted urges. Look at Fez – he didn't shove his way into a position where he could gawk at me. Actually," Donna was thinking now, "that's kind of weird. Are you OK back there, Fez?" she called into the darkness.

"Oh yes, Donna," Fez replied from his location behind Kelso where he was fascinated by the way the moonlight turned his friend's buttocks into warm marble, "I am just dandy."

"And how about you, Hyde?" Donna asked the curly haired rebel who was heading the naked patrol. "Hyde?" A tense silence was her only response. She noticed his hair was almost dry, unlike her own dripping locks. Probably the hot rage boiling inside him had steamed the water right out of it.

"Man, did I ever pick the wrong weekend to come home," Kelso continued. "You know, this may be going out on a limb here but I'm starting to think… guys, do you think maybe Jackie knows?"

All heads but Hyde's turned incredulously to 'the King'. Finally, Eric said with dripping sarcasm, "Oh, I think she might have an inkling."

_Earlier that day…._

"But Hyde," Donna objected as they hung out at his record store one midsummer's day, "you know she's going to remember eventually."

"Maybe not," Hyde said as he sorted through a new shipment of records. "It's been almost 6 months now – if she hasn't remembered by now, it's probably not going to happen."

Over the last two months Jackie and Hyde had grown into each other's lives in a way they had never experienced before. Although sometimes Hyde had misgivings about the wisdom of withholding the truth from Jackie, he could not deny her misplacing of their troubled history had worked out greatly in his favour. After Sam had entered their lives, every time Jackie had looked at Hyde her face seemed to blare "I can't believe I dated this asshole". Now when her eyes rested on him, they shone with trust and admiration. Hyde found himself becoming addicted to that look and he was willing to do whatever it took to keep it coming.

"Yeah, and it's really better for Jackie not knowing what Hyde did to her," Kelso said, sucking on a popsicle. "It's like when her and me were going out and I was seeing all those other girls, I knew it would hurt her if she ever found out so I made sure to do it behind her back for her own good." Kelso looked into the distance reflectively. "Man, I am sweet not just to look at but on the inside too!"

"Unlike you, slope-head, I truly am looking out for Jackie's best interests," Hyde said acidly. "I mean look at her – she's so ripe with that baby I'm afraid to have sharp metal objects around her in case she gets nicked with one and pops! And if the pregnancy wasn't enough, this heat-wave is really upping her discomfort level. The last thing she needs is any more stress."

"Fine," Donna said, backing down. "I still say you are going to be in a whole lot of hot water if she finds out."

"She's not going to find out," Hyde repeated irritably.

"Find out what?" Jackie asked, walking through the shop door. A panicked look instantly settled on her friends' faces. "Is there something I should know?" she asked innocently.

"Um… it was Hyde," Fez cried, pointing an accusing finger at his angry friend. "The Bee Gees just released a new album and he made us all promise not to tell you about it." The gang unanimously unstiffened at Fez's cover story.

"They did?" Jackie squealed in glee. "Ooh, gimme, gimme gimme!" She zipped over to the record bin and started sorting through the 'B's'. "Ha! Found it!" She turned halfway towards Hyde, peeking at him over her shoulder. "Really, Steven, you should know better than to try and hide things from me."

"Yeah, you're too quick for me," Hyde agreed, flashing an amused grin at his co-conspirators. A grin which quickly fell from his face when he felt a sharp pain to his right shin. "Shit! Jackie!"

Jackie regarded her boyfriend with a wide smile. "If you're going to keep secrets from me, Steven, you have to accept the consequences."

"Hey, I haven't seen you kick Hyde in the shins since…" Eric quickly slapped Kelso over the head. "That is, I've never seen you kick Hyde in the shins."

"Of course," was all Jackie said, but her eyes were unreadable. Hyde looked closely at his beloved; there was something different about her today. Come to think about it, she had been unusually quiet ever since they had dinner at the Forman's last night.

"Are you OK?" he asked her, tilting her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Is the baby giving you a hard time?"

"No, she's taking a nap right now."

"I thought you didn't know the sex yet," Donna commented.

"It's a girl," Jackie said quickly. It was her immediate response when asked this question, positive thinking she liked to call it. "No, the baby is behaving herself. It's just this damn heat is really getting me down."

"I wish I could block out the sun for you, babe," Hyde said, drawing her against his chest. "But there are some things that are out of my control."

"How surprising," Jackie murmured. "You're usually so good at manipulating situations to your advantage." Suddenly, she sprang away as though struck by a lightening bolt. "Guys! I just had the best idea ever!"

The gang looked at Jackie with misgiving. "This great idea doesn't involve disco dancing or Abba concerts, we ask with a sense of dread?" Eric said uneasily.

"Speak for yourself, Eric," Fez said, rubbing his hands together at the prospect.

"Remember that night we all went skinny dipping at the reservoir?"

"You mean that time when some kids stole our clothes and we had to drive home naked?" Donna replied.

"Heh, good times," Kelso said with a goofy grin.

"We should do that again tonight," Jackie cried. When no-one jumped in to second her motion, she added, "C'mon! It will be so much fun."

"I don't know," Eric wavered. "I remember the last time. This is probably the part where I should say 'we can laugh about it now' but I'm not quite there yet."

"Steven, make them come," Jackie implored, trotting out her best pout. In two seconds he folded like a lawn chair.

"Fine. But it better not end the same way this time." Jackie squealed with pleasure and jumped up to peck a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't worry, Steven. I promise you won't be driving home naked."

_Back to the highway…_

"Well, we can't say she didn't keep her promise," Fez pointed out. "We are certainly not driving home."

"I can't believe she would do something this diabolical," Eric complained to anyone who would listen. "Ever since I came back from Africa, Jackie has been all sweetness and light – well, as much as a pregnant Jackie can be. And now she pulls a stunt like this. It's like she skipped over to the sunny side of the force for a short vacation but in the end the dark side sucked her back in. Ah well, I guess I can't really blame her – after all, Hell can't run itself."

"Something must have happened," Donna mused. "I'm sure when we had lunch the other day she didn't know; she kept droning on about how pure and noble Hyde was for taking such good care of her when he had no real obligation to do so. If that was an act, then they should skip the nominations and Fed Ex an Oscar out to her pronto." Donna turned to Hyde who still had not said a word since the one extremely loud and obscene one that he had hurled after the El Camino's tail lights as they sped into the distance, containing not only everybody's clothes but one calculating brunette. "Hyde, did something happen yesterday that might have clued Jackie in that we've been keeping the truth from her? Did she say anything? Act any different?" When he remained silent Donna frogged his arm hard. "Cut the strong silent crap, Hyde! This is all your fault! I told you we should have told her what was going on but nooo! Jackie's health might be harmed. The stress isn't good for the baby. Do you want to know what else stress isn't good for? My feet!"

"I don't know, OK?" Hyde exploded. "Jackie seemed the same as usual. Well, except for…"

"Except for what?"

"It was nothing. Just halfway through dinner she went to the bathroom and when she came back she was a bit pale and she didn't say much the rest of the night. But I figured it was just the baby kicking up a storm."

"Jackie was _quiet _and you never suspected anything?" Kelso yelled. "Do you even know her? What the hell, man?"

"I'm with Kelso on this one," Eric said. "You know, seeing as how we're walking naked and shivering into town and all."

"Oh ho, we are not naked for long," Fez cried as he sped past Eric to a pile of clothing that was folded and stacked neatly by the roadside. On the top of the pile, a little pink envelope rested with Hyde's name on it. Hyde opened the envelope as the others grabbed for the clothing which turned out to be 5 oversized T-shirts.

"Please tell me our jeans are there," Donna said.

"Nope. Just our underwear and these concert Tees." Eric shook one out. "What the…" Emblazoned on the front was a picture of Anna and Frieda in matching white dresses which had large blue kittens sequined on them. Underneath the caption read "Abba Forever".

"You think that's bad," Kelso said, shaking his head at his T-shirt which displayed a large head-shot of Barbara Streisand with the words "My Queen" underneath. All the T-shirts were along similar lines – Donna Summer, Captain and Tennille and an especially disturbing picture of Donny Osmond's big cheesy grin. "Alright, this is the final straw. First she lures us to swim naked in the reservoir, then she sneaks off with our clothes and our ride, then she makes us walk naked along a public highway for 2 hours where the only people who would stop to give us a lift are the kind of people we don't want to be hitching rides from and now she's making us dress in these foul tributes to the worst music of our decade. All I can say is – this is the best burn ever!"

"So what does her note say?" Eric asked Hyde as he shrugged into the Streisand shirt. "Let me guess – 'So long, losers' or 'All hail the new burn-master'."

Hyde said nothing at first but then turned to Eric with such a look of fear it knocked the sarcasm right out of his friend. "Hyde, what is it?"

"We have to get back now," Hyde said tensely. He quickly grabbed a random T-shirt (it was the Abba one), pulled it over his head and then ran into the middle of the road, standing in the path of an oncoming pick-up which had no choice but to stop. Hyde swung open the passenger door, inviting himself into the truck.

"Hey, great, Hyde found us a ride!" Kelso observed happily. "And now he's yelling at the driver. And now their driving off without us. Hyde, you dill hole!"

"What just happened?" Donna asked in shock.

"I don't know. What I would like to know is what happened last night," Eric said. "I've got a feeling that would explain a lot."

_What happened last night…_

"So, Jackie, not long now," Kitty Forman said with an excited giggle. "Just think in only 3 more weeks I'm going to have a grandbaby!"

Jackie placed her hand over her heart in an 'I'm so touched' gesture. "Oh, Mrs Forman! You think of me as a daughter! That is so sweet."

"Oh I meant… that is, yes. Yes, I do."

"You know, Kitty, if you keep inviting Steven and the loud one over for dinner, it kind of cancels out the benefits of this dumbass moving out."

"I've missed you too, Red." Hyde said, saluting his mentor with a fork full of lasagne.

"That reminds me," Kitty remembered. "Steven hasn't completely moved out yet. I was sizing up your old room the other day (which also happens to be my new sewing room) and I found you had left a few things behind. I wondered if you wanted to keep them or if I should throw them out."

"I'd have to see what they are," Hyde said.

"Oh, it was just a few records and a shoebox," Kitty said. "They were under the bed which is probably how you came to forget them."

Jackie noticed that Hyde looked a little nervous at the word 'shoebox'. "Oh, that old thing! That – that's just junk. You can throw that away, Mrs Forman."

Jackie said nothing, merely sipping her soft drink, but when Red and Hyde become embroiled in a debate about the Packers chances next season, she quietly excused herself for one of the 50 bathroom breaks a heavily pregnant woman has in one day and slipped downstairs into Steven's room.

Coming into his room roused some powerful nostalgia. It was as though she had spent many intimate hours in this grey little room, experienced many powerful emotions. But this was just Hyde's old bedroom and until recently she had not spent much time with the man that she had lately come to care so deeply for. So why did every corner of the room seem so familiar, so… significant. She shrugged the déjà vu aside and carefully knelt down to look underneath the cot bed. Near the wall she could see the shoebox Kitty had mentioned so she lay down and rolled over onto her side so she was not pressing down on her stomach and wriggled underneath the bed.

That was when it happened. Whether it was the familiar dank smell that triggered her memory or just the similar situation, suddenly Jackie was hurtling back through time, reliving the most painful memory of her life.

_"Sam, you're the first person I've ever said I love you to and actually meant it." _

"Oh God," Jackie gasped, doubling over in pain. Those memories she had pushed to the very back of her consciousness flooded back in full force. Hyde's _I don't know _when she had asked if he could see a future with her. Hyde's _Have a nice trip _when she asked if he could give her a reason to stay. And finally Sam's shrill voice saying _Don't you remember? We're married!_

"My Steven," Jackie whispered to herself, "Steven Jekyll… he never existed. It was all in my head." There was only Steven Hyde. The Hyde who had led her to believe she meant something to him, only to reveal when he had thought himself alone with his tacky wife that it had been all a lie; he had never loved her, never cared about her. Strange that she had still persisted in the belief that he did, even after he chose to stay married to a sleazy stranger which should have told her otherwise. But there was no doubting someone was telling the truth when they didn't know the person they were lying to could hear them.

It was at that moment Jackie's devastation was pushed to the background by a white hot rage. They had lied to her – everybody had lied to her. Encouraged her in her fantasy world to her face and then sniggered at her when her back was turned. Her face flushed hot as she remembered all the glowing praises she had sung, firstly about her deceased lover and then about her lover's replacement who had stepped up so perfectly into the role of self-sacrificing hero.

Slowly Jackie drew a deep breath, brushed the dust off her maternity slacks and walked out of Hyde's bedroom. She knew she must appear perfectly normal in order for her plan to work. So she sat back down at the table and forced a reassuring smile for Hyde when he asked if she was alright, repressing her shudder when he gently rubbed her stomach as he liked to do. Tomorrow they would pay. Then what would come after that… she wouldn't think about that now.

_The next night, Jackie and Hyde's apartment…_

Hyde hammered on the door, having no key to unlock it. "Jackie!" he yelled. There was no answer. He tried the handle, surprised when it turned easily in his hand. Charging into the apartment, Hyde immediately noticed many items missing – small knick knacks that had sentimental value to Jackie which she had spread across the apartment to make it 'homey'. He ran into the bedroom and threw open her closet to find her suitcase missing and half of her clothes gone – the most fashionable half. That was when he sank onto the bed and put his head in his hands as he realised the note she had written was now a statement of fact; she was gone.

**A.N. Drama! Don't worry – you know I am incapable of anything but happy JH endings.**


	9. What is Truth?

Chapter 9

**A.N. Happy New Year to everyone! It's 10.40 am 1st January here in Australia, don't know if the new year has caught up with everybody else yet but from my perspective I get the first That 70's show update of the new year. Yay! Have to warn you, this chapter isn't exactly in the 'happy' category but we will get there, never fear! Also, thanks for the avalanche of reviews to the last chapter – you guys are the best fanfic readers ever.**

_He put the glass to his lips, and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; and as I looked there came, I thought, a change—he seemed to swell—his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter—and at the next moment, I had sprung to my feet and leaped back against the wall, my arm raised to shield me from that prodigy, my mind submerged in terror. "O God!" I screamed, and "O God!" again and again; for there before my eyes—pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death—there stood Henry Jekyll!_

_- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_

When Jackie set out from what had briefly been the happiest home she had ever known, she had no clear idea where she would go. Her father was in prison, her mother was cruising singles bars in South America, all her closest friends were currently buck naked and cursing her name. Even Mr Pinciotti, her former guardian, had left town last month in favour of a bait shop in Florida. And while the Mary Tyler Moore in her wanted to believe she could make it on her own, the lively passenger pummelling her insides with its tiny fists begged to differ.

This was how she came to be standing on the doorstep of the last option left to her.

"Why, Jackie!" Kitty Forman cried in surprise. "What brings you here? And what's in the suitcase? Ooh, are you going to become a Kathy May girl? You know, my sister Paula has done very well for herself selling their products."

"No, Mrs Forman, I'm here because… well, I've left Steven."

Kitty's jaw dropped in dismay. "Left Steven? But why on earth would you want to… Oh dear, you remembered, didn't you?"

Jackie winced at the reminder that even this sweet woman who she looked on as a mother had been complicit in the huge fraud that had been played on her. "Oh Mrs Forman, how could you?" she asked sadly, tears spilling from her eyes. "How could you be a part of this… this lie?"

"Oh Jackie, it wasn't like we didn't want to tell you," Kitty tried to explain as she pulled the pregnant girl into her home. "But Dr Hammond said the safest course would be to let you come out of it on your own."

"Dr Hammond?" Jackie tried to clarify. "My grief therapist? What would he know about such things?" It then dawned on Jackie what kind of doctor she had been seeing in those counselling sessions she had attended. "He's not a grief therapist, is he?"

Kitty shook her head sadly.

"Oh my God," Jackie moaned, burying her head in her hands. "I've been pouring my heart out to a doctor who was looking on me as a mental patient! A nutcase! A rabid, foaming at the mouth, two sandwiches short of a picnic lunatic!"

"Jackie, no!" Kitty protested. "It wasn't like that. It wasn't anything too serious – just a little post traumatic stress. People who go through bad experiences have it all the time. In fact, it was hardly a month after it started that Dr Hammond said you were well enough that we could tell you the truth."

"Then why didn't you?"

Kitty looked around frantically to find a way out of the corner she had painted herself into. "Ah, well, you see, Steven thought it would be better not to – safer, I mean. Because of the baby."

"Steven," Jackie repeated in a toneless voice. "Of course he wouldn't want me to know – he never was one to cut short a good burn."

"Jackie, it wasn't like that – "

"Mrs Forman, could I please stay with you for a while? It won't be too long – just until I figure out how I'm going to raise an infant on my own with no means of income or place to live.." Jackie's voice dwindled away as she described her predicament.

Kitty gave a nervous laugh as she patted Jackie's hand. "Of course you can stay with us, sweetie. For as long as you need to – although perhaps it would be best not to mention to Mr Forman about the no means of income or place to live part."

With a tired nod, Jackie picked up her suitcase and allowed herself to be led to Laurie's old room. It was only when the door had been gently shut behind her that she finally allowed herself the luxury of giving in to the deep well of sadness that had been living inside of her for the past 24 hours.

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It was much later that night when Jackie was awoken by sounds of a commotion downstairs. She crept to the top of the stairs to discover its source, taking care to stay out of sight. After all, there were five people out there who would be feeling less than charitable towards her at the moment.

"… need your help," she heard a familiar voice say in frantic tones. "I've been looking all over Point Place for her – the bus shelter, the hospital – no-one has seen her."

"Steven, calm down," Mrs Forman soothed.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, do you really think Jackie would go to a bus shelter?" Red Forman said irritably. "With her public transport hang-ups?"

Hyde dragged a nervous hand through his hair. "Unless she's gone to Chicago – but I called Brooke and she hasn't heard from her and there's no-one else there that she knows – "

"Steven, Jackie is here," Kitty interrupted.

"WHAT?" Hyde and Red yelled in unison. Kitty turned to her husband with a tentative smile. "I was looking for the right time to tell you about that…"

Jackie heard no more as she backed her way quickly into Laurie's room. Given the whole stranding-Hyde-naked thing and now having caused him so much worry, she had a feeling their next encounter would probably involve a lot of yelling.

She was not wrong.

She was just looking around for a chair to put against the door handle when Hyde swung the door open. She almost didn't recognise him; his eyes were bloodshot, his hair stuck out in all directions and the Abba Tee-shirt that he had forgotten to change out of seemed especially out of place (although he had pulled on some jeans). She swallowed nervously when he strode towards her, gripping her shoulders as he searched her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked intensely. She nodded, afraid to trust her own voice. This seemed to be the signal to let go of the kind and considerate Steven who had catered to her every whim for the last 5 months and release the enraged Hyde. "What the hell were you thinking? You leave me a note to tell me you're running out on me but don't even tell me where? At least the last time you left without giving me a chance, you told me where you were going."

"You can't compare the two incidents," Jackie argued, a little short of breath.

"The hell I can't," Hyde snarled. "It's just like you to take some stupid Jackie notion into your head and think you've got everything all figured out when you don't know – "

"Don't know what?" Jackie cried, shaking herself free of his hold. "Don't know how you've been lying to me for months? Making yourself out to be some kind of saviour when really you were the one I needed saving from? I remember, Steven. I remember everything."

Hyde froze at her words. "I thought as much. Stranding us naked at the reservoir was my first clue. But tell me, if you remember everything, do you remember the last five months? Do you remember me being there for you every step of the way through this whole pregnancy?"

Jackie looked up at the boy she had loved – literally madly – with sad Bambi eyes. "Only because I'm carrying your baby."

"What? Jackie, how can you say that? You know how I feel about you." Hyde took her hand, rubbing his thumb over her fingers. "I've told you."

Jackie closed her eyes in anguish as the memory of all the nights she had fallen asleep in Hyde's arms rushed over her. It had become a nightly ritual since they had moved into the condo that after the tender lovemaking that finished their day and just before Jackie drifted into slumber, he would whisper those three sweet words into her ear. She opened her eyes, now brightened by her tears. "Can you really expect me to believe you meant those words now?"

Hyde was taken aback. "Why would I say them if I didn't mean them?"

"For the same reason you said them when we were dating – to control me. Keep me dangling on your string. But you forget, _Hyde_, I know the truth now. I know that Sam is the only woman you have ever said 'I love you' to and really meant it."

"Damn," Hyde said quietly, struck to the core by the agony in her eyes. The agony he had caused. "Jackie, when I said that to Sam - I was lying. I didn't mean it."

"Lying then or now?" Jackie said scornfully. "I'm guessing now, seeing as how you didn't even know I was in the room that other time so you had no reason to lie."

"Of course I knew you were in the room," Hyde said, exasperation in his voice.

"Huh?" Jackie was thrown off her stride by his response.

"Jackie, I knew you were under the bed."

"Yeah, sure. How could you possibly know that?!"

"Well, there was spotting your handbag on the couch when I first walked in the basement. Then there was the way my room had that fruity apricotty smell like that body lotion you use. And besides – whenever you're nearby, I just – know it."

"You knew I was there?" Jackie said slowly, turning the idea over.

"I swear," Hyde affirmed. He took a step closer to Jackie, encouraged. "Jacks, I – "

"How could you?" Jackie whispered, staring with wide eyes of horror. "You knew I was there, you knew the only thing I had left was knowing that I once meant something to you, and you took that away from me. You took it away and gave it to _her_. Just like you took everything else, and then taunted me with the loss."

Hyde felt his eyes sting at the raw pain in her voice. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"How can you be so cruel?" Jackie asked. "What kind of man acts so viciously to someone whose only crime was to love him with all her heart?"

Hyde hung his head in shame. He felt like he had no defence to offer. He could try to explain how his hurt feelings always turned to anger and then to revenge, usually a revenge out of all proportion to the perceived hurt, but that would only cement her belief that he was a monster. Right now, he was thinking she had been right about him all along. The Steven she had loved had died when he had run away from her and taken up with a slutty stripper. All that was left was the angry, violent Hyde, a dangerous animal that continually hurt the people he loved.

"I'm sorry," Hyde said again. He turned around and opened the door but paused on the threshold and said without looking at her, "If you want to know why I told that stupid lie, you should take a look inside the shoebox under my bed."

Before Jackie could ask him what he meant, Hyde was gone.

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The next day Donna found Jackie sitting up on Laurie's bed with a shoebox on her lap. She looked up at her tall friend with dazed eyes.

"Alright, here's the deal," Donna declared, pointing a finger at the small brunette. "I'll forgive you for making me walk home naked last night with Kelso's eyes glued to my butt every step of the way so long as we call it even on the whole me befriending Sam thing, which I realise was a pretty skanky thing to do to you. So, what do you say – deal?"

Jackie thought this over a few seconds. "Deal." She bit her lip. "How did Kelso and Fez take it?"

Donna made a dismissive motion with her hand. "Don't worry about them. Kelso's anger was cancelled out by his reverence for a good burn and Fez, well, you know how he loves being naked. To have the rest of us there to share it was a dream come true for him. Eric, on the other hand, you might need to build him a Leggo space station again before you're back in with him."

Jackie gave a small smile. "I'm sorry," she said. "Mrs Forman told me how you guys wanted to tell me but Steven wouldn't let you."

"He was just being protective of you," Donna said seriously. "Honest, you can't hold this against him. He was really scared the shock of finding out could hurt you and the baby."

"Maybe," Jackie said, unconvinced. "I just – it felt like I'd been walking around naked for the last six months, letting every feeling out for you guys to laugh at."

"So last night was you returning the favour?"

"Something like that."

"I guess I can relate to that. So, what's that you've got there?" Donna asked, motioning towards the shoebox.

"This is Steven's," Jackie said. "It's kind of what started this whole thing."

"How so?" Donna sat next to Jackie on the bed.

"This is what I was hoping to find, the day I overheard him say what he did," Jackie explained. "Knowing Steven, he must have assumed I'd already found it so of course he said the most hurtful thing he could think of to punish me for discovering he actually has feelings." Donna peered into the box, finding photos of Jackie, movie ticket stubs of chick flicks she must have dragged him to and other Jackie-like mementoes. Clearly, this was Hyde's Jackie Box.

Jackie held up the red silk flower that she had worn in her hair at the Valentine's Day dance; Steven must have pocketed it in the aftermath of their make-up sex that night. "If I had found all this, I wouldn't have believed him when he said he never loved me."

"He said that?" Donna gasped. Knowing Jackie, she could imagine how deadly those words would have been to her. "So that's what sent you into la la land!"

"Tactfully put, lumberjack," Jackie winced.

"Sorry," Donna said. "But I can't believe him! He was directly responsible for your reality time-out and he never 'fessed up. Man, I am so kicking his ass the next time I see him!" But Jackie did not join in the righteous indignation fest. Instead, she twirled the flower sadly between her fingers, a haunted look in her eyes. "Jackie, are you OK?"

This brought a snap back to her mismatched eyes. "I'm in love with a man whose favourite hobby is to find new ways to torment me and mess up my life and you ask if I'm OK? Sure, I'm just peachy, Donna!"

"Look, Hyde can be an ass," Donna admitted, "but I don't think he tries to hurt you because it gives him any pleasure. In fact, it's the times when he has caused you pain that I've caught him at his lowest – and when I say low, I'm talking listening to country music low."

"Even if that were true, it's still not a good reason to take him back," Jackie argued. "So he feels some remorse, good for him. Doesn't change the fact that he can't make a commitment to me or want to build a life with me or tell me he loves me."

There was a minute of silence before Donna gingerly asked, "But isn't that kind of what he's been doing the last few months?"

Jackie had a caught-out look on her face. "Well… yes, but that wasn't really Steven – I mean, it was Steven but it wasn't Hyde. That is, it wasn't the real Steven Hyde."

"I don't know about that. I have this feeling that when Hyde is with you he is the most real version of himself. He definitely is more human." Donna looked contemplative as she sorted out this whole character duality problem to her satisfaction. "It's funny how easy it was for everybody to pretend Hyde was dead – that is, the Hyde he was before he went to Vegas. Because the man that came back from Sin City towing a stripper was not the same boy I grew up with."

"What do you mean?"

"He was just so detached," Donna explained. "And if you could ever catch him without his sunglasses, there was nothing in his eyes – no life, no energy. I know they say people gamble away their souls in Vegas but with Hyde, I can believe that was more than a saying."

Jackie thought back to that time and remembered how cruelly Hyde would burn her, the way he flaunted Sam in front of her, how he never lost a chance to belittle her. Then she remembered how he was before their lives went to hell – the warmth in his eyes when he looked at her, the way he always found an excuse to make contact with her when they were in the same room, the way he would touch her body when they made love as though she were the most precious thing in the world to him.

"He came back a monster," Jackie said, the revelation hitting her. "That must be why I came up with the whole Jekyll and Hyde thing. I remember that Mr Hyde in the story was this twisted creature without any conscience while Dr Jekyll was a kind and sensitive soul."

"You know what that makes you, then? You are the potion!" Donna said with rising excitement.

Jackie wrinkled her nose. "Donna, I am much too pretty to be associated with some yucky medicine."

"Stay with me here, midget. In the story it was the elixir he invented that turned Hyde back into Jekyll. When he couldn't access the potion anymore, he became stuck in Mr Hyde's body. That's what happened to Steven Hyde when you broke up – he became the worst version of his former self. But then when you lost your memory and you started to love him again, he became your Steven again, except much more so. Ever since your last make-up, I have never seen him so happy or treat anybody as sweetly as he does you."

Jackie absorbed Donna's words. Part of her wanted to believe them, to take them as permission to give into her yearning to forgive Steven. But another part of her was consumed with fear.

"But Donna," she whispered, "what if he does it again?"

Donna opened her mouth to say she was sure Hyde would never be so stupid to make this mistake again, until she remembered that she had said much the same thing after the nurse incident.

"I can't answer that," she admitted. "I guess you have to weigh up the possibility that he could hurt you in the future against the certainty of what your life and your baby's life will be like without him. Then you have to decide if it is worth the risk."

"I'm afraid," Jackie whimpered.

"Of what?" her friend asked gently.

"I'm afraid he'll turn back into Hyde. I'm afraid of raising our baby without him. But most of all I'm afraid that if I don't forgive him I'll never be truly happy again."

Donna had no wise answer to give to that. She didn't know what was the right decision in this mess, all she could do was encourage Jackie to make the right decision for her. So she said nothing but held her best friend as she sobbed heartbroken tears on her shoulder.


	10. Emotional Rescue

Chapter 10

**A.N. This is the penultimate final chapter (meaning just one more after this). My grateful thanks to everyone for their reviews – you know how I love them.**

_If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek.  
- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_

"Ugh," Jackie exclaimed as she walked into the basement to find Eric and Donna in an enthusiastic make out session, "don't you two ever stop? If you keep going at this rate you're going to throw a lip out or sprain your tongues." She threw her apple core at them (the pregnancy had given her an insatiable craving for apples). "Just because you two are finally starting college next month doesn't mean you have to gross everyone out with your sickening never-ending happiness."

"And top of the morning to you too, Mary Sunshine," Eric replied, dodging her missile. "I was just saying to Donna how this place could really use a shot of gloomy bitterness and now here you are, like an answer to a prayer."

"Don't mess with me, stick insect." Jackie rubbed her stretched to capacity belly soothingly. "Little Tiffany is already making my life miserable enough today to meet even your standards."

"You have no idea how high my standards are – you naked-making-abandoner you!"

"Eric, get over it; it's been a week already. And Tiffany?" Donna laughed. "There's no way Hyde's going to let you name your kid 'Tiffany – if it's even a girl.'".

"It's a girl," Jackie said quickly. "And seeing as how Steven has fallen off the face of the earth, I doubt that he's going to have any say in the naming process." Jackie sat herself down in Hyde's chair, her sulkiest pout puckering her lips.

"You're mad because Hyde is giving you space?" Eric asked. "Jackie, he's been trying to talk to you all week and you've turned him down flat every time. And then yesterday you screamed at him that if he didn't leave you the hell alone you were going to start spreading rumours that he votes Republican." Eric shook his head. "You women – you ask for space and then get mad when we give it to you."

Donna rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Eric's never really grasped the space verses closeness thing."

"What is there to get? We just want our men to give us enough room to come to terms with all the endless crap they put us through but still be close at hand so we can throw something at them as payback for the said endless crap."

"Gee, I can't imagine why Hyde wouldn't want to stick around for that," Eric said.

"Maybe I was a little moody yesterday," Jackie admitted. Eric and Donna mouthed _moody?!_ At each other, causing Jackie to narrow her eyes. "Hey, I'm nine months pregnant and I've just come out of a walking coma – be grateful I'm not brandishing an axe." Jackie swung back to her despondent tone. "It's so unlike Steven to stay away from me this long. Maybe I was too hard on him yesterday. He's probably sitting in a dark place somewhere, pining for the love he so foolishly threw away."

"Oh, hey Jackie," Kelso greeted cheerfully as he entered the basement. "Has the baby popped yet?"

The three looked at Kelso with disbelief. "Yes, Michael, the baby has popped," Jackie replied sarcastically. "She's sleeping in the Candyland game box, along with Eric's pathetic savings."

Kelso looked at Jackie suspiciously. "Wait a second – something about that doesn't sound right." He gesticulated a raised finger at his friends. "I thought Eric was stashing his cash in the Batman lunchbox now."

Eric threw his hands up in the air. "Is there no place in this house where a man can conceal his liquid assets?"

Jackie made an impatient humphing sound. "Michael – of course I haven't had the baby yet, idiot! Eric, here's a crazy idea – open a bank account, dumbass! And Donna, you have to come with me and help me find Steven." She bit her lip in worry. "I just have this feeling that he's in some kind of trouble."

"Oh, he's in trouble alright," Kelso agreed. "When I left him and Fez at the mini-golf course, Fez was really running up the score."

"Mini-golf?" Jackie screeched. "I'm sitting here, worrying about him and his sorry ass is playing mini-golf? Donna, gear up!" The angry brunette strode out of the basement.

As Donna borrowed Eric's car keys, she murmured "I guess Jackie was right about Hyde being in some kind of trouble."

When it was just the two guys left, Eric asked "Why are you always here? Don't you have a job in Chicago?"

Kelso shrugged. "They don't mind me taking time off. Something about how things seem to run smoother without me."

Eric eyed his friend warily. "Funny, that."

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"Well, hello there, my golden-haired goddess."

"Oh, hi Mitch," Donna said with surprise. "You still work here?"

"There's a shocker," Jackie sniped.

"Hey, for your information I've just been promoted to Executive Assistant Manager," the little man corrected. "I'm the guy who gets things done! So Donna… what can I executively manage for you?"

"We're just looking for Hyde," Donna explained. "Is he still here?"

Just then Fez walked up to them, carrying his putter over his shoulder like a rifle. "Ah, my dear Donna and Jackie! You have come to witness Fez's triumph over his American rivals." He proudly pulled out his score card. "Look at this! On every hole I notched up more strokes than Kelso or Hyde. On the ferris wheel hole alone it took me 40 strokes to get the ball in the little hole. Admit it, evil dwarf," Fez turned to Mitch, "nobody has ever made it to 40 before!"

"That is a record, Mush Mouth," Mitch agreed. "Of course, in golf the object is to have the _least _number of strokes…"

"Do not quibble with me, stunted one" Fez said airily. "Girls, you may now bow down and worship me."

"But Fez – "

"I said worship!"

"Fez, where is Steven?" Jackie asked impatiently.

"Ah, Hyde did not take his defeat to my mini-golfing awesomeness well," Fez replied. "Last I saw of him he was camped out on the medieval hole."

"Right then, time for me to get medieval on his ass," Jackie said, heading off towards the mini-golf course.

"Wait," Mitch said. He ran up to her and gave her a set of keys. "Do you mind locking up the place when you leave? Thanks!" Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and ran to catch up with Donna and Fez, who were walking towards the Vista Cruiser. "Hey, Donna! Wait up!"

It was not long before Jackie found the medieval hole, seeing as how it was one of the more elaborate settings on the Point Place mini-golf course. It even had a small ice-blue castle that stood about 5 feet high, surrounded by a moat to complete the picture. However, the one thing it didn't have was a curly-haired zenmaster, at least not to the naked eye. Then Jackie noticed a wisp of smoke curling upwards from inside the castle. With resolute steps, she walked up to the closed drawbridge and hammered her fist against it.

"Steven!" she yelled. "I know you're in there."

"Jackie?" Hyde's head popped above the castle turrets. "What are you doing here?"

"Hunting you down," she said. "Come on out of there now!"

"I can't," Hyde said in slightly embarrassed tones.

"Why not? Look, if it's about what I said yesterday, I didn't really mean it. I don't even have a carving knife on me so I couldn't slice up any of your body parts like a pepperoni even if I wanted to."

"No, it's not that. I just came in here for a little alone time with my stash but when I drew the drawbridge up something… locked."

"You're trapped in a miniature castle?" Jackie repeated, a tremor of laughter in her voice.

"Damn it, Jackie, it's not funny," Hyde insisted. "And then Fez was too busy composing his stupid victory song to hear me yelling at him to go for help." Hyde looked at his sometime-girlfriend hopefully. "Doll, how about you go and find Mitch so he can get me out of here?"

"Well, you know I wish I could," Jackie said regretfully. "But the baby is really giving me a hard time today. Perhaps if I just rest a while on this bench then I'll have the strength to help you out."

"What are you doing out here on your own anyway?" Hyde asked, creasing his brow in concern. "You know I don't like you to be this far away from a medical professional."

"Hey, I'm not the one who locked myself in a castle," Jackie pointed out. "Seems to me out of the two of us I'm the one ahead of the game."

"So, that's what you intend to do? Sit around and make smart-aleck remarks?"

Jackie smiled sweetly. "And I haven't even peaked yet."

"You know, I think I liked it better when you weren't talking to me."

"No, you didn't."

"No, I didn't," Hyde said quietly. There was a pregnant pause (no pun intended). Then;

"So, why didn't you tell me?"

Hyde didn't need to ask what she was talking about. "I just thought it was the best thing – for everyone."

"How could it be the best thing, Steven?" Jackie was starting to get worked up. "I was in mourning for you, you jerk. I cried over your memory and you weren't even gone! You just held my hand and watched me turn myself inside-out over you and you said nothing! So tell me, in what twisted universe could you say that is the best thing? And don't give me that crap about stress and my health!"

"It's not crap," Hyde protested. "Dr Hammond painted such a grim picture of what can happen to people when they're pulled out of their make-believe too soon – I couldn't run the risk of that happening to you."

"Not even when the doctor told you it was safe? Come on, Steven! Admit it; you knew the best chance you had with me was if I didn't remember the hell you put me through. You kept quiet for your own good, not mine."

"You really believe I was just thinking about myself?" Hyde asked incredulously. "I put myself in a situation where I couldn't even claim my own child and you think that was something I wanted?"

"Then why did you do it?" Jackie shot back.

"Because you deserved better," Hyde yelled.

"Better than what?"

"Better than a guy who dumped you for a whore. Better than a guy who couldn't even tell you not to go when you asked him for a reason to stay. Better than a guy who said I don't know when you asked for a glimmer of hope about us having a future." Hyde slumped down against the inner castle wall. His sad voice echoed from within the plaster stone walls. "Better than me."

A tear fell from Jackie's eye. "But Steven – you have been that guy. These last few months – you've been everything I always knew you could be."

A dry chuckle drifted on the evening air. "It's amazing the freedom that comes from being dead. I mean, when you first murdered me in your little alternate reality, I tried really hard to make you remember, short of outright telling you. But then you found out you were pregnant and you needed somebody to depend upon and suddenly you were looking at me with eyes as trusting as a lamb, like there was no way I'd ever let you down. And… I wanted to be the guy you thought I was. Somehow it just started to come easy to me. Don't you get it, Jackie? I wanted to be dead – I wanted to kill off that part of me that kept hurting you and just bury it away where it would never do any more damage."

Jackie stood on the bench so she could peer over the castle wall to see Hyde slumped on the ground in his own personal dungeon. "I really liked that Steven," she said in a low voice.

Hyde raised his head slightly. "Which one?"

"The one who wouldn't let me eat shrimp. The one who painted my toe nails for me to cheer me up when I couldn't see my feet. The one who could tell me he loved me even when he wasn't in trouble."

Hyde stood up so they were both standing at eye level on opposite sides of the wall. "I thought you said you didn't believe me when I said that."

Jackie gave a barely perceptible shrug. "Maybe I was wrong. It is possible that the next time I hear you say it I could detect a certain sincerity in the words. Stranger things have happened."

"Like forgetting your ex-boyfriend didn't die in a car crash strange?"

"No, I was thinking more along the lines of locking yourself in a fake child-sized castle strange."

"Touche."

"I thought so."

Hyde reached a hand across and cradled her face. "I love you, Jackie," he said simply. His thumb brushed away the tear that ran down her cheek. "Always have, always will."

"Good to know," Jackie whispered.

"What? No jumping and squealing? No flowery declarations of undying love?" Hyde said half-jokingly.

Jackie gave a small smile. "I'm not quite there yet."

"Ah," Hyde said, disappointed.

"But I don't think it will be too long before I am," Jackie reassured.

"Alright," Hyde said. "I can wait."

"In the meantime, I do have something in mind that requires you being on the other side of this wall."

Hyde smirked back in response. "Well then you better go find that red-headed midget and have him get me out of here," he advised.

"Or," Jackie said, pulling out a bunch of keys from her pocket and jangling them in Hyde's face. "I could just unlock the door myself."

"What the hell? You had the keys on you all this time?" Hyde exclaimed.

"Yep," Jackie said smugly as she inserted an old fashioned looking key into the drawbridge lock.

"I don't believe this," Hyde muttered. "You're setting me free from a castle. This poetic irony thing is really kicking my ass." Then the door was opened and Hyde found himself on the same side as Jackie, able to circle his arms around her, to press his nose against hers, to smell the scent of apple on her breath. He was just psyching himself up to kissing her, for the first time as his true self, when she beat him to it and locked her soft lips against his. And of course, as with their first kiss on that long ago Veterans Day, it was hot. But it was so much more than that now; it was love that held nothing back. It was coming home.

"Come on, let's get out of here, _Gerda_" Hyde said as he slung an arm around her shoulders. "This place is much too far out of town for my comfort. You know I don't like you being this far away from the hospital."

"Nag," Jackie said automatically. "Nothing is going to happen."

"Yeah, well, something always happens to people who say nothing is going to happen."

"You watch too many sit-coms. I'm telling you, aside from these damn clenching pains, I'm totally fine."

"Clenching pains?" Hyde stopped in his tracks.

"Yeah, I've been having them all day," Jackie said. "Like my body is being squeezed in a vice. It comes and goes."

"What, like, every 10 minutes?" Hyde asked, his face turning pale.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Steven, it's not a contraction. From what I've heard, a contraction is a much sharper pain that rips you apart from the inside like OH MOTHER OF GOD!" Jackie yelled, dropping to her knees on the soft grass.

"Jackie," Hyde shouted, kneeling next to her.

Jackie looked up at Hyde with wide eyes. "… like that."

**A.N. What's going to happen? Will they make it to the hospital in time? Stay tuned for the final chapter (even though this was supposed to be the final chapter – gah, I just can never find a good place to stop).**


	11. Happy Ever After

Chapter 11

**A.N. Here it is, the final chapter at last! I want to send a shout out to my most loyal reviewers, Hyde's Bride, Sooki, Ultrawoman, Jaded Angel and sometimestheycallmejackie. The anticipation of reading your comments has made writing this story a true pleasure.**

_There comes an end to all things._

_- Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_

"I can't believe Donna and Fez didn't wait for you," Hyde muttered as he sped along the dark country road.

"Saw your car in the parking lot – knew you'd take me home," Jackie grunted around the pain.

"That's no excuse," Hyde said, casting a worried look at Jackie. The baby may have taken all day to get itself ready but now that it was coming, it was in a hurry. He cursed himself for letting his depression over Jackie's rejections cause him to relax his hovering vigilance over her. He should have been by her side back home, not playing putt putt 20 miles outside of Point Place. But then he never expected her to come looking for him.

"Why do you never do what I think you're going to do?" he asked irritably. "Girls like you should come with a manual. Yeah, that's what this world needs. Someone should put a warning sticker on you reading 'Danger – will take crazy notions into head and act in unpredictable ways'."

"Steven, you really want to pick a fight with me when I'm in labour with your child? Is that your brilliant plan? Because I swear I will tear you to pieces without breaking a nail!"

Perhaps it was the bickering that distracted Hyde, or the darkness that had settled along the unlit back road. Whatever the reason, the result was he missed the third right from the golf course that led back to town and took the fourth right instead. It was a good twenty minutes before he started getting that uneasy sinking feeling when you wonder if you took a wrong turn but there are no signposts or landmarks to tell you one way or the other.

"Now Jackie," he said cautiously, looking uneasily at the huffing and puffing brunette writhing next to him, "I don't want you to panic – "

"What?" she cried. "How can you start off a sentence like that and not expect me to panic? What's wrong?"

"There is a very small – miniscule – possibility that we could be… lost."

Hyde winced at Jackie's loud and abusive reaction to this update.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we're heading in the right direction. It just might take us a little longer than I planned. But hey, labour takes forever, right? Like, at least 8 hours – and you're so small, it'll probably take you at least twice that."

"Try right now," Jackie said in seething tones.

"What?" Hyde yelped.

"Yeah, so you'd better find me a 5 star hospital right now, buddy. Oh, and I'm not forgetting you just wished 16 hours of excruciating pain on me, either!"

"Jackie, you're exaggerating, right? It's not really coming…" the howl of pain from his girlfriend cut off his question, convincing him that she knew of what she spoke. _Think, Hyde_, he thought desperately. _Jackie will never forgive you if she has to give birth in the flatbed of a Camino_. Then his headlights picked up a winding driveway. At last, a link with civilization! He headed the car up to a rambling country farmhouse and helped Jackie up to the porch.

"Hey, let us in," he yelled as he hammered on the door. "It's an emergency! Pregnant woman about to burst out here!" But there was no movement in the house or sign of life within.

"Well, are you just going to stand there all night or are you going to jimmy the window open?" Jackie asked in exasperation. "You'd think being knocked up by a petty felon would have some benefits!"

"Petty? I don't think so," Hyde scoffed as he pulled a lock pick out of his pocket. Within 5 seconds that door was open. Hyde made a move to lift Jackie up with some vague notion of carrying her over the threshold but she slapped his hands away impatiently and made a beeline for the couch.

"Don't worry, Jacks. As soon as I find the phone I'll get an ambulance and a doctor and Mrs Forman out here before you know it," Hyde promised as he quickly paced through the rooms of the empty house, searching for the telephone. "Then we'll get that baby out of you and we'll have a beautiful daughter and you can go back to wearing those tight jeans we both miss so much… just as soon as I find… where the hell is the frickin' phone?"

"Don't tell me," Jackie moaned as another contraction tore through her.

"Unbelievable!" Hyde shouted. "How can anyone in this day and age not have a phone? You know what I'm going to do when we get out of here? I'm going to invent a phone that doesn't need cords or lines and is so small you can carry it in your pocket. Yeah, that's what I'll do! Then whenever there's an emergency you can always call for help. It will be totally mobile so you can take it anywhere – I'll call it the take-anywhere phone."

"Steven, will you back-burner your crazy science-fiction fantasies and come over here," Jackie ordered. Hyde immediately knelt down beside the couch Jackie was reclining on. He squeezed her hand reassuringly as he stroked the hair back from her forehead.

"Don't worry, Jackie," he said as he gazed into her frightened face. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you – I promise."

"I'm so scared, Steven," she whispered. "I'm sorry for being so bitchy."

"What? You? Bitchy? Get out of here." He kissed her lips softly. "No-one talks about my girl like that."

Jackie smiled shakily. "I can't wait to meet our baby. We are going to be such good parents, Steven."

"Yeah, I know."

"You do?"

"Well, between our crappy family histories we know exactly what not to do when it comes to child-rearing. The rest of it we can pick up from the Formans." As another contraction hit Jackie, Hyde remarked with some concern "It looks like our baby can't wait to meet you, either."

"What are we going to do?" Jackie asked, biting on her bottom lip nervously.

"Look, if it comes down to it I'll deliver the baby myself," Hyde said with what he hoped sounded like confidence.

"You?" Jackie squeaked.

"Sure. I read through all those childbirth chapters in your books – I know the protocol. Women were doing this before hospitals were invented. It's just a simple procedure, like changing a tire." Hyde rubbed his hands together. "Let me just go and sterilize a knife for the cord cutting and we'll be good to go."

"You really think you can do this?" Jackie asked.

"Of course," Hyde said breezily. Just then they heard the unmistakeable sound of someone coming down the stairs. Into the living room crept a middle aged couple in their night clothes, looking very much on the apprehensive side at the sight of their unexpected visitors. In the age-old fashion of farmers, they had gone early to bed in preparation for the early to rise part.

"What is going on here?" the man asked.

"Oh my," his wife exclaimed, "that girl is fit to give birth, Jonas."

"We're sorry, we didn't think anyone was home and my girlfriend is in labour and it looks like the baby is coming soon," Hyde explained in a rush. "I don't suppose either of you have a medical degree on you?" he finished, as though he was asking if either of them had change for a dollar.

"Don't you fret, young man. I've had plenty of experience helpin' along pregnant females," the farmers wife said competently.

"YES! Thank you, God," Hyde shouted in relief, punching a fist in the air. Jackie looked at him with knowing eyes. "I mean, that's cool, even though I could have done it myself if I had to."

"Yeah, right," Jackie replied. "As if I'd let you anywhere near my naughty places with a knife."

"You're in luck, little lady, Susannah just delivered a whole mess of piglets over at Cal West's farm the other day so she's all warmed up and ready to go," the farmer said as his wife made her way purposefully over to Jackie.

"Piglets?" Jackie squealed (much like a piglet). "My baby is not a porker! How would she ever overcome the shame of being delivered by a pig's midwife?"

"If it's any comfort, I've helped along my fair share of cows as well," Susannah said. This further reference did not reassure. Jackie looked imploringly at Hyde.

"Look, are there any doctors or nurses who deal with actual human babies anywhere around here?" Hyde asked desperately.

Jonas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well now, that young doctor from the hospital lives close by. I guess I could call him and ask him to lend a hand."

"Call him? You mean you do have a telephone?" Hyde asked hopefully.

"The kids have been after me to get one hooked up but I haven't got around to it yet," Jonas said in his unhurried drawl which was playing on the young couple's last nerve.

"Then how are you going to call him?" Jackie shouted. Jonas blinked, then walked over to the back window and pushed it open.

"HEY, DOC!" he yelled in a booming voice. "Pregnant girl in full whelp!" After a few seconds, they heard a distant reply "Be right there!" Jackie and Hyde looked at the farmer in amazement. "I told you he lived close by. Boards over at the McCallen's farm."

"Come on, honey," Susannah said as she helped Jackie to her feet. "Let's put you to bed." Hyde said nothing but picked Jackie up and carried her up the stairs to his host's spare bedroom. This time Jackie did not slap his hands away but rested her head against his shoulder, letting her mind skim over Gone With the Wind comparisons. Jackie was no sooner settled when Hyde heard a knocking on the front door.

"That must be the doctor," he said, giving Jackie's hand a reassuring squeeze. "It looks like something is finally going our way."

"Hurry back," Jackie replied, casting an uneasy glance at Susannah who seemed to be measuring Jackie with the eye of one whose services though previously rejected would not hold a grudge and was ready to renew the offer at any time.

Hyde ran down the stairs and reached for the door handle. "Oh man, I can't tell you how glad I am to see – _you_!"

Roger stepped through the door, trying to place the vaguely familiar man who was staring goggle-eyed at him. "I understand someone needs my help?" he prompted.

"Uh… yeah. Sure. It's _my_ girlfriend," Hyde said as he lead the way. "She's in labour and it seems like the baby is in a big hurry to get out of there."

"Don't worry, giving birth is a completely natural experience," Roger soothed. "I've called for an ambulance just in case but I'm sure there won't be any surpri – Jackie?"

"Roger?" Jackie cried, raising herself up on her elbows to gawk at her former suitor.

"Small world, isn't it?" Hyde said sarcastically, taking a proprietary position on the bed next to Jackie.

"So… uh… I suppose we should pop the hood, so to speak, and see what's happening."

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Hyde growled. "What, you're not even going to buy her a sandwich first?" Jackie's howl of pain cut short his remarks and he made no further objection as the young doctor assessed Jackie's condition.

"You weren't exaggerating, this baby is really storming the barricades." Roger opened his medical bag and started pulling out instruments while issuing instructions to Jonas and Susannah regarding towels, sponges and ice chips.

"What do I do?" Hyde queried nervously.

"Your job is to keep Jackie calm and help her through this. It's too late to use drugs so I'm afraid she's in for a rough ride. Can you be there for her?"

Hyde held Jackie's eyes, sending her a silent promise. "Yes," he said firmly. Jackie smiled at the man she loved as tears filled her eyes. And during the next hour as her body went through the greatest ordeal of her young life, she drew on his strength and will. When she thought she couldn't push any more, he made her believe that she could. When the pain seemed unbearable, he distracted her from it with corny jokes. They worked together as one, finding in their crisis a bedrock of trust which, underneath the ultimatums and strippers and well-meaning lies, had always been there just waiting to be discovered.

"Okay, Jackie, we're almost there," Roger encouraged. "One more good push and we're done."

"That's what you said the last time," Jackie protested, close to weeping. "This is why it would never have worked out between us, Roger. Because you're a lying liar who lies!"

"But, Jackie – "

"I said, liar!"

"C'mon, Jacks, just one more," Hyde coaxed. "Where's that annoying cheerleader who never gives up until she gets what she wants?"

Apparently those were the magic words because before too long a baby's cry filled the little farmhouse bedroom. The sound seemed to bring new energy to Jackie and soon she was demanding to see her daughter. A look crossed Roger's face which gave Hyde an idea of what was coming next."

"Actually," Roger said hesitantly, eyeing one of the most terrifying labouring women he had ever attended, "now, don't get upset, but…"

Jackie narrowed her eyes at the hapless young doctor. "What did you do?" she asked ominously.

Hyde walked over to see for himself what the damage was. He grinned widely. "It's a boy, Jacks!"

"What! It can't be! That wasn't part of the plan! I'm only mentally prepared for a girl," Jackie wailed.

"You could always think of him as a girl but with a spare part," Roger suggested helpfully.

Jackie pouted, ready to lodge another protest, until Hyde carried their son to her and placed him in her arms. As she stared into his milky blue eyes, her expression softened and a smile slowly blossomed.

"Hey, you," she said softly. The baby gurgled, a response which so enchanted the young mother that she forgot she had ever wanted any other child than the utterly perfect one in her arms.

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"I can't believe I missed being there for you when you gave birth," Donna complained as she cuddled the tiny little Hyde in her arms. The whole gang with Mr & Mrs Forman and WB were crowding out Jackie's hospital room, all jostling in line to get a glimpse of the newest member of their small community. Once it was safe to move Jackie, the ambulance Roger had called had shuttled the threesome to the hospital which had a more enlightened view on the subject of telephones than the farming couple so Hyde was finally able to get in touch with his unusual extended family.

"You were lucky," Jackie said. "If I could have, I would have missed it too."

"Oh, and by the way, Jackie," Kelso said, "On the subject of you having a boy – burn!"

"We should have expected it," Hyde said, full of smug male pride. "After all, they say the guy's sperm has the deciding vote on the sex. I guess I was just too much man for you, Jacks."

"Yeah, we'll see about that next time," Jackie replied as she swatted his arm. "You still owe me twin girls, you know."

"So what are you going to name the little guy?" Red asked as he took the baby from Donna. The little fellow was passing through the crowd like a pass the parcel but, much like his mother, he was thriving on all the attention.

"Ooh, you should name him Michael," Kelso volunteered.

"Why would they want to name the baby after you?"

"Uh - because I'm the first guy Jackie ever did it with, Eric?" Kelso said, rolling his eyes. "Don't you know anything about tradition? Ow! Hyde!"

"If we're talking namesakes, we should name him for the people who took us in when we were lost in the middle of nowhere," Hyde said. "He might not be here today if it weren't for them."

"Steven, it's a nice thought but, Jonas?" Jackie said. "I'm not naming my precious baby boy Jonas!"

"No, I meant their surname – Connor. I looked it up and it means strong-willed, which seems about right for a cross between you and me."

"Connor Hyde," Jackie mulled this over. "I like it. It's a good name both for a president _or_ a rockstar." She reached up and pulled Hyde's head closer to hers for a kiss and he gladly returned the favour.

The rest of visiting hours flew by too quickly so that before they knew it, the newly minted mother and father were alone with their small son. Hyde sat behind Jackie's back as Connor nursed in her arms, fitting together like a set of Russian nesting dolls.

"So," he said as he watched his child set to work on dinner with admirable vigour, "are we there yet?"

"Are we where?"

"You know – the golf course – the castle – you said we weren't quite there yet."

"Did I say that?" Jackie asked with innocent eyes.

"You did," Hyde replied. "Dashing my hopes yet again."

"Ohh, poor Steven," Jackie cooed, stroking his face with her palm. "How you have suffered."

"Quit it, Jacks. If you don't put me out of my misery soon I'm not going to give you your present."

"Withholding a present from me?" Jackie cried. "That's extortion."

"A man does what he has to," Hyde responded, nipping lightly on her neck.

"Well, if a present is at stake, then yes, I think after all we have been through in the last 48 hours, we have now crossed the 'there yet' line." The love that lit her blue and green eyes belied the teasing note in her voice.

"Alright then," was Hyde's answer and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Jackie gasped as a premonition hit her of what was to come. With a flip of his thumbnail the box opened to reveal the most beautiful engagement ring Jackie had ever seen."

"I know this is kind of a backwards way of doing things – having the baby first and then the marriage. But then from the beginning our love affair has always pulled things up from the wrong end." Jackie nodded, remembering that summer when what had begun as a physical pleasure to escape boredom had become something much deeper than either had been looking for. "But through all of the dramas and mistakes of this last year, one thing has become so obvious to me that I just wish I could of known it back when you first asked me if I saw a future with you, Jackie; I wish I'd had this feeling of absolute certainty then so we could have avoided all the heartache that came after. But maybe it doesn't work that way – maybe I never would have known what you mean to me until I lost you. And if that's the case then I don't regret what's happened because I know now that I'm never going to let you go again. I just – I couldn't survive it, Jackie."

"Me either," she agreed as happy tears spilled from her eyes.

"So, I guess what I'm saying is, if you say you'll – you know – marry me – then I swear I'm going to spend the rest of my life making that the smartest decision of your life. I'll work harder at making you happy than I've ever worked for anything, because your happiness is mine as well. Does this make sense?"

"Yes, Steven," Jackie answered. "Yes to everything – to learning from the past, to understanding what you mean, to marrying you. Yes, yes, yes!"

"Yes?" Hyde looked incredulous at her ready agreement so Jackie drove the point home by kissing him as enthusiastically as she could while holding an infant. When they finally pulled away from each other to catch their breath, she said, "I love you, Steven Jekyll Hyde – I love you for the knight in shining armour that I have always seen behind your sunglasses and sideburns. I love you for sticking with me even when I'm more trouble than I'm worth. I love you, body and soul, for good and bad until our time on this big old planet is up and then some." Hyde sighed, a sound of relief and an emotion that threatened to overturn his zen for good and all. He drew back from his fiancé, looked lovingly into her eyes and said those three special words.

"Good to know."

**A.N. And there we have it - a fitting end for our favourite couple. I was intending to make their baby a girl, only because they had a boy in my last story, but then I imagined Jackie's reaction if she was expecting a girl and got a boy instead and I couldn't resist. I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I have a couple of new story ideas but I should really work on Crossover Crazy a bit more before I publish anything new. Thanks for reading and, as always, please review!**


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